Winter time Decorations

These are a few cost friendly, homemade, winter time decorations that everyone will have a blast making!

Spray-painted Pinecones 

What you will need:

1. About 12 varying size pinecones. (I'm pretty sure everyone has pinecones laying around their yard, but if not just ask a friend or neighbor if you could help clean up their yard by removing any unwanted pinecones. :)

2. One large cardboard box. (Recycled box.)

3. A few cans of spray-paint. (Whatever colors look best with your house)

What to do:

1. Place 3 or 4 pinecones in cardboard box.

2. Spray pinecones with first color. Let dry. Turn pinecones over and spray. Let dry. 

3. Repeat steps 1 & 2 for each color.

Floating Cranberry Centerpiece 

What you need:

1. Vase/ candle holder

2. Candle (White looks best)

3. Cranberries (fresh works best. NOT FROZEN!)

4. Holly-berry leaves/ with berries. (Or any pretty winter leaf.)

5. Water (Amount varies)

What to do:

I think you can figure that out! : ) 

One tip is to wash your cranberries first.

I thought this was quite cute! Very easy! I think all that was used was:
1. Vase
2. Candle
3. Sugar/salt/sand....?
3. Cranberries.

Very pretty and super simple!

 

 

Cinnamon Stick Candle-holders

This is by far my favorite! And while I've never done this I think it's fairly simple.....?
What you need:
1. Candle/with holder
2. Cinnamon Sticks
3. Small ribbon/ twine
4. Hot glue-gun/ with glue sticks
What to do:
1. Glue each individual stick onto candle holder in and upright fashion
2. Repeat step 1 until candle holder has no bare-spots
3. Let dry
4. Tie ribbon on and enjoy!

This is by far the easiest craft! No need to explain!

Vase with acorns. very easy, but pretty! 

 Elegant!

 Same idea as the pinecones! : ) pretty cute!

This is the hardest of the craft projects, but very beautiful! 

Click Here for instructions

If you have craft ideas to share, just leave a comment with a link in it on how to or your own instructions!

If you have any questions feel free to ask in the comment box.

~ Home for the Holidays ~ part 1

Home for the Holidays is a series I will be doing over the next few days, and it will hopefully be insightful on how to make your home inviting, your food yummy, and your house look amazing....enjoy!

Part 1. Planning the food. 

       Everyone knows that the star of the show for Thanksgiving is the turkey; and many people have many questions about the best way to prepare their turkey. While personal preference wins every time, some tips can make the difference between  yummy and yuk!

 

Q: 1.  Should I spend the extra money on an Organic/ Free Range/All Natural turkey?

A:1. I say, YES to Organic!...and this is why. 

  Choosing a free range, organic or heritage turkey is a great start towards having a great Thanksgiving. There are more benefits than disadvantages for choosing an organic turkey. The main disadvantage of an organic turkey is its price, which can sometimes be double the price of a traditional frozen turkey. A turkey (after butchering) is suppose to age for three days for maximum tenderness. The traditional turkey is usually immediately thrown on ice. An organic turkey is free of chemicals, fresh, and taste much better, which makes the extra cost worth it.

Facts about traditional turkeys (aka non-organic)

  A traditional turkey may be super-sized because it is chemically and genetically modified, which may make the turkey drier and less tender. Many traditional turkeys are raised in crowded conditions inside and are placed under heat lamps (No sunshine doesn't make for a very healthy bird). They are usually fed corn-based mash that may be laced with hormones or antibiotics (I was just thinking "Why would I want a bird who had to have antibiotics....that means the bird needed antibiotics in the first place.....it was a sick bird or the other birds around it were sick"). Many turkeys become overweight, which can contribute to broken bones, or cause the turkey to die from a heart a attack. Most of these facts, if not all, go for chickens as well!

  

Facts about Organic turkeys

  Organic turkeys are know to have a better flavor, and to have a lower risk of salmonella. These turkeys are also known to have many health benefits. Organic turkeys spend a great deal of time grazing outside eating a diet that is free of pesticides, hormones and antibiotics. If you want to be certain the turkey you are purchasing is organic, buy it directly from a farmer or health food store that you know and trust. For a turkey to be certified organic, the entire environment from yard to feed has to follow the government standard "all natural" label.