TEN MORE EASY IDEAS FOR CHRISTMAS DECORE!

TEN MORE EASY IDEAS FOR CHRISTMAS DECORE

I posted ten easy ideas yesterday, and will be posting more easy ideas for Christmas Decor. Be sure to keep checking for them!

1. Fill a small glass bowl or decorative Christmas bowl with small cones and display on end tables, shelves, buffet tables, etc.

2. For quick ornaments, hang Christmas cookie cutters with ribbon. Hang them on your tree or in a window so other people can enjoy your Christmas decorations.

3. Create a cookie wreath centerpiece for your table. Just arrange Christmas cookies in a wreath shape right on the table cloth. No need to attach them to anything 'cause everyone will want to nibble at them. If you like, place a pillar candle on a small plate in the center of the wreath.

4. Decorate plain red, white, green or gold candles with 3-dimensional fabric paint. Draw stars, bells, angels, snowmen, etc. If you make a mistake, let the paint dry and peal it off, then start again.

5. Pile a collection of Christmas books on a side table.

6. Purchase an inexpensive mail box. Spray paint it red or green. Use craft paints to add simple Christmas shapes or attach store-bought ornaments with a hot glue gun (make sure your ornaments will be able to stand up to the elements).


7. If you have a large, bare outside wall, try this simple idea. Cut a Christmas silhouette from a piece of plywood (a silhouette of Santa, a snowman, etc works well). Using screws, attach your silhouette to a short post that you can drive into the ground. You'll want the silhouette to stand right at ground level several feet away from the wall. Position a spot light on the other side of the silhouette so that it will shine on the silhouette and project a large shadow on the wall. A silhouette of Joseph leading Mary who is sitting on a donkey is beautiful.

8. Wrap indoor Christmas lights around a railing or banister. Secure periodically with tape. Be careful to tape down the electrical cord so that no one trips over it.

9. Add color to a room with vases of red and white flowers. Use roses, carnations, mums, daisies, etc. Or, float the flowers in large crystal or glass bowls.

10. Wrap an assortment of medium to large sized boxes with Christmas wrap. Attach ribbons and/or bows. Pile the boxes in a corner from floor to ceiling

TEN EASY IDEAS FOR CHRISTMAS DECOR

TEN EASY IDEAS FOR CHRISTMAS DECOR

I will be posting more easy ideas for decorating your home for Christmas. So be sure to keep checking back for them!

1. Create a charming display of teddy bears dressed for the season. Gather together three or more teddy bears and arrange them on a table or on the floor in a corner. Dress the bears with touques, scarves and mittens. Place candy canes in their hands or tie bows around their necks. You can even wrap up some small, empty boxes with Christmas wrapping paper to place in the bears' hands.

2. Display a collection of nativity scenes from different cultures.

3. Make simple bows from Christmas print ribbon and pin them to your curtains.

4. Hang a collection of Christmas stockings on your mantle, a shelf or the wall (even if you don't stuff them). The more the merrier when it comes to nice christmas decorations.

5. Revisit your childhood. Cut snowflakes from white paper and hang them in all of your windows.

6. Buy a clear plastic shower curtain. Use a hot glue gun to attach Christmas decorations to the outside of the curtain. Don't use breakable ornaments - instead, try small wooden or plastic ornaments (remove any hooks), bows, garland, etc.

7. Use red and green 3-dimensional fabric paints to trace simple Christmas patterns (like stars, bells, Santas, stockings, etc.) on a white tablecloth.

8. Dress up your house plants - hang small Christmas ornaments on them.

9. Tie a red ribbon around a tall, slim drinking glass. Fill the glass with candy canes and display on a shelf or side table.

10. Purchase plain green or red place mats and attach Christmas ribbons, bows or small wooden ornaments with a hot glue gun.

CORNEY COOKIES, TEPEE CUPCAKE, GOBBLING-GOOD CUPCAKES, MARSHMALLOW PILGRIM HATS, SWEET T.O.M. TURKEYS,

All of These are super easy and fast to make. The children will have a blast showing off their artistic ability.

CORNEY COOKIES

These candy-topped treats are a blast for kids to help decorate for your feast -- or a Thanksgiving school party. You can use the sugar cookie recipe here or store-bought dough.

INGREDIENTS:

1/2 cup butter
1 cup sugar
1 egg, lightly beaten
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
Vanilla frosting
Green fruit leather
M&M's or Reese's Pieces candies

DIRECTIONS:

Using an electric beater, cream the butter and sugar in a large bowl. Add the egg and vanilla extract and mix well. In another bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, and salt. Mix in the flour a little at a time until the ingredients are well combined. Chill the dough for several hours or overnight.

Heat the oven to 350 degrees. Divide the dough into 3 parts. Working on a floured surface with one part at a time, roll out the dough to a 1/4-inch thickness. Using a knife, cut out corncob shapes about 4 inches long. Place the cookies on ungreased baking sheets and bake for 9 minutes or just until the edges brown. Let the cookies set on the sheets for about 2 minutes, then transfer them to a wire rack to cool completely.

Frost the cooled cookies. Next, use kitchen shears to cut husks from the fruit leather to fit the sides of each cookie. Press the husks in place atop the frosting, with the tips down a bit. Now fill in the middle with candy kernels gently pressed into place. Makes about 1 1/2 dozen cookies

SWEET T.O.M. TURKEYS


Candy corn plumes and shortbread wings turn cupcakes into irresistible turkey sweets for Thanksgiving.

INGREDIENTS:

Cupcake
Chocolate frosting
3 oval shortbread cookies (we used Keebler Sandies Right Bites Shortbread)
6 to 10 candy corn pieces
White icing
Black decorators' gel
Red fruit leather (we used strawberry Fruit by the Foot)

DIRECTIONS:

Frost the cupcake, then press in a cookie head and 2 cookie wings.
Press in a row or two of candy corn tail feathers.
To make an eye, add a small dot of white icing to the head, then add a dot of black decorators' gel for a pupil.
For a beak, cut the white tip from a piece of candy corn and press it in place.
To make the wattle, cut a 1-inch square of fruit leather. Roll it into a tube and stick it in place over the beak.

GOBBLING-GOOD CUPCAKES

If you want to hatch a novel holiday dessert that your kids can help make, these tasty turkeys fit the bill. They're also great for a classroom party.

INGREDIENTS:

24 frosted cupcakes
24 Nutter Butter cookies
2-3 tablespoons of white frosting or decorator's gel
Mini chocolate chips
Fruit leather, various flavors and colors
toothpicks

DIRECTIONS:

To make each turkey, press the lower portion of a Nutter Butter cookie into a frosted cupcake for the bird's head.
Use tiny dabs of frosting to stick on mini-chocolate chip eyes and a red fruit leather wattle.
For each turkey's tail, use a butter knife to cut out a dozen feather shapes (about 3 inches long and 1 inch wide) from fruit leather.
Lay 6 of the feather shapes on a flat surface and place a wooden toothpick lengthwise atop each so that one end of the toothpick extends about an inch below the feather. Layer another fruit leather feather layer atop each of the 6 shapes, sandwiching the toothpicks between them.
Press the 2 layers together to make them stick, then fringe the edges of the feather with a butter knife. Now your child can stick the colored feathers into the cupcake behind the cookie head.

T IS FOR TEPEE CUPCAKE

Kids will gather around for these tepee cupcakes.


INGREDIENTS:

1 cupcake
1 large cupcake
Brown frosting
3 thin pretzel sticks
Red whip licorice
Orange fruit leather

DIRECTIONS:

Unwrap both cupcakes and, with both upside down, stack the smaller atop the larger, with icing in between.
Frost the stack.
Insert the 3 pretzel sticks at angles so they cross at the top, tying them together with licorice.
Wrap the fruit leather "hide" around the cupcakes and, using a writing tip, decorate it with designs

MARSHMALLOW PILGRIM HATS

Here's a treat that looks old-fashioned but is made with two favorite modern-day sweets: marshmallows and chocolate.

INGREDIENTS:

24 chocolate-striped shortbread cookies
12-ounce package of chocolate chips
24 marshmallows
tube of yellow decorators' frosting

DIRECTIONS:

Set the chocolate-striped cookies stripes down on a wax-paper-covered tray, spacing them well apart.
Melt the chocolate chips in a microwave or double boiler.
One at a time, stick a wooden toothpick into a marshmallow, dip the marshmallow into the melted chocolate, and promptly center it atop a cookie.
Using a second toothpick to lightly hold down the marshmallow, carefully pull out the first toothpick.
Chill the hats until the chocolate sets, then pipe a yellow decorators' frosting buckle on the front of each hat.
Recipes from Family Fun

CHRISTMAS FAUX FIREPLACE, STUFFED SWEET POTATOES WITH PECAN AND MARSHMALLOW STREUSEL & HOT CURRIED FRUIT

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CHRISTMAS FAUX FIREPLACE

For those whose Christmas holiday lacks a chimney by which to hang stockings with care, this easy-to-build cardboard fireplace makes a great stand-in.

Total Time Needed:
1 Hour

MATERIALS:

Four 18-inch square boxes and two 28- by 20- by 5-inch rectangular boxes (generally sold at mailing service and supply stores)
Brown paper packing tape
Newspaper
Acrylic paints (red, brown, cream, black, and white)
Paper plates
Large rectangular sponge
Small rag
Sheet of gray paper (at least 20 inches square)


INSTRUCTIONS:


Build the hearth: Assemble the four square boxes. Leaving one top flap open on each box, seal the other flap edges with packing tape. Then stack two boxes on end with the free flaps on the same side and tape the flaps together.

Next,, tape all the seams and edges to create a smooth surface for painting. Do the same with the other two boxes. Now set the two stacks side by side so that the open flaps meet in the middle. Tape the flaps together to form the hearth's back wall.

Paint the bricks: Cover your work area with newspaper.

Squeeze some red, brown, and cream acrylic paint onto a paper plate. Dampen the sponge and then coat its surface with paint by blotting the different colors to achieve a mottled effect. Use it to print rows of bricks on the hearth, recoating it with paint as needed.

Make the mantel: Assemble the two rectangular boxes and tape them together end to end. Squeeze black and white paint onto a second paper plate. Dampen the rag, dip it in both shades of paint, and apply the paint to the mantel in swirls to create a marbled gray surface. Once dry, set the mantel on the hearth and slip the gray paper in place for the fireplace floor.

Ideas for logs...paper Mache. Use the long balloons and paper Mache them, may take a day or two, but well worth it, and they'll keep for the following years! Plus you can make them look charred.

Make andirons out of nail polish remover bottles with Styrofoam balls on top. wrap the Styrofoam ball with a small piece of plastic and spray-paint the bottle with the Styrofoam black. They will look quite realistic

Put clear chasing Christmas lights behind the logs you made. Then tuck some red and yellow cellophane in between the logs, adjust the lights and voila! A crackling, faux fire in the fireplace. For more great ideas check out Family Fun

STUFFED SWEET POTATOES WITH PECAN AND MARSHMALLOW STREUSEL

Easy, Yummy, Appealing, and will bring smiles to the dinner table!

INGREDIENTS:

12 large sweet potatoes
3/4 cup (11/2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
3/4 cup light brown sugar
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup toasted pecan pieces
1 cup miniature marshmallows

DIRECTIONS:

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
Wash the sweet potatoes, scrubbing them well to remove any dirt. With a fork, prick the sweet potatoes in a couple of spots and place them on a sheet pan. Bake for about 45 minutes, or until a knife inserted in the center goes in easily.
In a large bowl, mix the butter, brown sugar, and flour together until it's crumbly-looking. Add the cinnamon, salt, pecans, and marshmallows; fold the streusel topping together to combine.
Slice the sweet potatoes lengthwise down the center and push the ends towards the middle so it opens up. Stuff the sweet potatoes generously with the streusel topping and return to the oven. Bake for another 20 minutes, or until the topping is bubbly and brown.

HOT CURRIED FRUIT

INGREDIENTS:

1 stick butter, melted
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 tablespoon curry powder
1 lemon, juiced
1 cup fresh pineapple chunks, cut into 1-inch pieces
6 small apricot halves, pitted and peeled
2 pears, peeled, cored and quartered
2 peaches, peeled, cored and quartered
20 maraschino cherries
1/2 cup chopped pecans

DIRECTIONS:

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.
Stir 1 stick of butter, 1/2 cup brown sugar, 1 tablespoon curry powder and lemon juice together in a small bowl.
Combine all the fruit in a large baking dish and stir together with remaining ingredients. Sprinkle butter mixture over fruit and bake in preheated oven for 1 to 11/2 hours, basting often.
It works well with canned fruit as well.
Recipes from Food Net Work

BLUEBERRY COBBLER COOKIES, BLACK FOREST OATMEAL COOKIE, LAYERED BROWNIE GOODNESS, ELVIS TRUFFLES

BLUEBERRY COBBLER COOKIES

These drop cookies have dried blueberries and white chocolate chips stirred into an oatmeal-and-spice batter.

INGREDIENTS:

1 cup butter, softened
1 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup white sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
1/4 tsp salt
3 cups quick-cooking oats
1 cup dried blueberries
1 cup white chocolate chips


DIRECTIONS:

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Cream together butter and both sugars. Add eggs, one at a time, and vanilla. In another bowl stir together flour, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt. Stir into sugar mixture. Stir in oats, then blueberries and white chocolate chips. Drop by heaping teaspoons onto parchment-lined cookie sheets. Bake for 8-12 minutes but do not over bake. Cool on wire racks

LAYERED BROWNIE GOODNESS

Sliced refrigerated cookie dough is baked atop brownie batter, then the treat is layered with a melted caramel mixture, toffee chips, and a melted chocolate chip-peanut butter mixture.
INGREDIENTS:

1 box fudge brownie mix
1 roll of refrigerated chocolate chip cookie dough
1 container cream cheese frosting
20 individual caramels, unwrapped
1/3 cup heavy whipping cream
1/2 package toffee bits
12 ounce package milk chocolate chips
1/2 cup peanut butter

DIRECTIONS:

Prepare brownie mix according to package directions; put in a large greased baking dish. Cut up cookie dough and put evenly on top of the brownie batter. Bake according to brownie recipe, adding a little extra time, if needed. After taking the brownie-cookie mixture from the oven, let cool all the way. Then spread some of the cream cheese frosting over that layer. In a small saucepan, melt caramels with the cream over low heat until melted. Drizzle caramel sauce over top. Sprinkle with the toffee chips. In another small saucepan warm the chocolate chips with the peanut butter over low heat until melted. Pour on top of the toffee chips. Let cool in the refrigerator for a couple of hours until set. Cut into bars.


NOTES:
For easier removal of the brownie bars, I always line the baking pan with heavy foil, overlapping the foil over the handles of the dish. That way when you are ready to cut the brownie cookies into bars, pull up the foil and they will come out. Then, make sure before cutting that the foil is peeled down all around the sides.

Here is another recipe using BACON! & another Black Forest recipe! Enjoy them both.

ELVIS TRUFFLES

You know Elvis and his love of peanut butter, bacon, and bananas, cover it all in chocolate and chill to make a treat that would have made him sing.

INGREDIENTS:

3 bananas
1 cup creamy peanut butter
1 package pre-cooked bacon
3 containers microwaveable dipping chocolate


DIRECTIONS:

Peel bananas and cut into 1/2 inch coins. Place approx 1/2 teaspoon of peanut butter on each piece of banana. Warm bacon in microwave per package directions. Cut bacon into 1/2 inch pieces. Place 1 piece of bacon on top of peanut butter on each banana. Melt chocolate per package directions. Coat banana with chocolate. Place in fridge until chocolate has hardened. Before serving, sprinkle each truffle with sea salt (only a few grains.)
Recipes from Better Recipes

BLACK FOREST OATMEAL COOKIE

INGREDIENTS:
1 cup Crisco® Butter Shortening
OR 1 stick Crisco® Butter Shortening Sticks
1 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
1 cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 2/3 cups Pillsbury BEST® All Purpose Flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
3 cups quick oats (not instant or old fashioned)
1 (6 oz.) white chocolate baking bar, coarsely chopped
3 (2 oz.) semi-sweet chocolate baking bars, coarsely chopped
1/4 cup coarsely chopped candied or dried cherries
1/2 cup sliced almonds

DIRECTIONS:
HEAT oven to 375°F.
COMBINE shortening, brown sugar, sugar, eggs and vanilla in bowl of electric mixer; beat at medium speed until well blended.
COMBINE flour, baking soda, salt and baking powder in medium bowl; add to shortening mixture at low speed until well blended. Stir in with spoon, one at a time, oats, white chocolate, semisweet chocolate, cherries and nuts.
DROP rounded tablespoonfuls of dough 2 inches apart onto ungreased baking sheets.
BAKE 9 to 11 minutes or until set. Cool 2 minutes on baking sheets; transfer to cooling rack to cool completely.
Recipe from Crisco

BLACK FOREST BROWNIE PECAN PIE, PEPPERMINT WHOOPIE PIES & PEANUT BRITTLE BACON COOKIES

BLACK FOREST BROWNIE PECAN PIE


INGREDIENTS:

3/4 cup Karo® Light or Dark Corn Syrup
1/3 cup sugar
1/8 teaspoon salt
3 ounces semi-sweet baking chocolate, broken into pieces
2 tablespoon butter or margarine
3 eggs, slightly beaten
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3/4 cup coarsely chopped pecans
1 Keebler® Ready Crust® Graham Cracker Pie Crust
1 can
(21 ounces) Comstock® or Wilderness® Cherry Pie Filling

DIRECTIONS:

Combine corn syrup, sugar and salt in a small saucepan. Bring mixture to a boil over medium heat, stirring until sugar is dissolved. Remove from heat.
Add chocolate and butter to syrup mixture, stirring until chocolate is melted and mixture is smooth. Let cool for 5 minutes.
Pour chocolate mixture slowly over eggs, stirring constantly. Add vanilla and pecans; mix well. Place pie crust on a baking sheet or pizza pan (for stability). Pour mixture into crust.
Bake in a preheated 350°F oven for about 30 to 35 minutes, until center of pie is slightly puffed; cool at least 1 hour. To serve, top each slice of pie with about 1/4 cup cherry pie filling.
Recipe from Recipe For Togetherness

PEPPERMINT WHOOPIE PIES

INGREDIENTS:

COOKIES
2 cups flour
1/2 cup cocoa powder
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter
1 cup brown sugar, packed
1 egg
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon peppermint extract
1 cup buttermilk

FILLING:
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, softened
1 7.5-ounce jar marshmallow fluff
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1 1/4 cups powdered sugar
1 cup crushed peppermint candies (about 50 peppermint discs)

DIRECTIONS:

Preheat oven to 350°F. In medium bowl, combine flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda and salt; set aside.
In large bowl, cream butter and brown sugar with electric mixer until light and fluffy. Add egg and extracts; mix well. Slowly add flour mixture and buttermilk, alternating, beginning and ending with flour mixture. Cover dough and chill at least 30 minutes.
Drop dough by rounded tablespoons onto parchment-lined baking sheet, placing cookies 2 inches apart. Bake cookies 9 to 12 minutes, or until firm. Cool cookies on pan 3 to 5 minutes or until set, then transfer to wire rack to cool completely.
For filling, in large bowl, cream together butter, fluff, and vanilla extract until light and fluffy. Add powdered sugar slowly; mix well. Spread flat side of half the cookies with heaping tablespoon of filling; top with second cookie to create sandwich. Roll edges in crushed peppermint candies; chill cookies to set filling.
Store unfilled cookies and filling in airtight containers in refrigerator for up to 1 week, and filled cookies for up to 3 days. Bring cookies to room temperature before serving.

PEANUT BRITTLE BACON COOKIES

INGREDIENTS:

1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup granulated sugar
2 eggs
1/2 cup smooth peanut butter
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 cup peanut brittle, cracked into 1/4-inch pieces
1 1/2 cups bacon, crisply cooked and cut into 1/4-inch pieces

DIRECTIONS:

Preheat oven to 350°F.
Cream together butter and sugars until light and fluffy. Mix in eggs, one at a time. Add peanut butter and mix until incorporated.
In a separate bowl, sift together flour, salt and baking powder. Add the dry ingredients one cup at a time to the butter mixture, scraping the bowl as needed. Stir in peanut brittle and bacon.
Roll dough into 1/2-inch balls and place on parchment-lined cookie sheets. Flatten each cookie with the palm of your hand to about 1-inch in diameter. Bake about 15 minutes or until the edges begin to lightly brown. Remove to a cooling rack to cool completely.
Store in an airtight container for up to one week.
Recipes from Eat Wisconsin Cheese.

TIPS FOR SETTING A BEAUTIFUL THANKSGIVING TABLE!

TIPS FOR SETTING A BEAUTIFUL THANKSGIVING TABLE

Before you let your decorating dreams run away with themselves, there are just a few basic considerations you need to keep in mind:
How large is your table? Will you be placing serving dishes on the table? If you have a small table that you plan to cram a lot of guests and serving platters around, your decorations will need to be kept small and simple. On the other hand, if you have a huge banquet table with plenty of space, you will want your decorations to fill in the gaps.
Who are your guests? Thanksgiving is usually a time to get all of your family and friends around, which is great, but kids and table decorations don’t always mix. If there will be lots of little ones gathered around the table, lit candles, your best china and crystal and family heirlooms might be best left in the cupboard for another time.

Color reigns supreme. With all the wonderful hues of the harvest season, make sure to layer in a good punch of color at every place setting. Just like with china and stemware, table linens don't have to match,. Mix it up by picking three of your favorite fall colors and incorporating them differently at each setting.

Create a glow. Floating tea lights in partially filled stemware is a wonderful alternative to candles on the table. You will love the effect of amber or emerald colored stemware for this purpose. When nestled in with other glasses, the light from the stemware creates the perfect seasonal glow.

Collect fall foliage. Layer an array of red, yellow, and orange leaves around the edge of a charger, or simply place leaves underneath the perimeter of the largest plate at each place setting. This organic look adds just the right touch of the season.

Use your gourd. Small gourds of all colors make wonderful vessels for food. After hollowing out the inside, let the gourd dry before inserting a small bowl to fill with a side dish. This is a really fun and festive way to serve a first course, like soup, which would already be on the table when your guests sit down.

Pick some pinecones. The color is right, the texture is great, and these guys are perfect for holding on to something,. Use the layers of the pinecones prickly scales to hold place cards. For a different twist, try writing a word or two about what you're thankful for about each guest to place at his or her seat.

Add some organic flair. Dress up your silverware for the season with a little raffia and a fall leaf. Just roll your silverware up in a napkin, bind with raffia, and insert one leaf into the raffia tie.

Incorporate fall crops. Tuck a few wheat stalks into candlesticks for an interesting decoration and to add height to individual place settings. A low, wide candleholder made of ceramic or pottery works well to complement the long, rustic look of the wheat cluster.