DIY Holiday Serving Tray
Don’t spend $20 on serving trays for the holidays! You can make your own standing serving trays for less than $2 each (seriously!), and you can decorate them the way you want! You can also give them away with your cookies to friends and neighbors. It’ll blow their mind that you “spent so much” even though you know you didn’t! :)
Just got to Dollar Tree or your local dollar store and look for a matching bowl and plate (or mix and match!). Turn the bowl upside down so the bowl is open to the table and hot glue the bottom of the bowl to the bottom of the plate. Let it sit for a minute, and that’s it!
Thanks to The Tip Garden for the idea!
DIY Kiss-mas Tree Craft
This craft is so insanely simple and adorable that you’ll want to do them every year and for different holidays (Easter trees, anyone?)! Here’s what do:
What You’ll Need:
- Styrofoam tree form from a craft store
- Hot glue gun
- Hershey Kisses
Directions:
- The styrofoam trees come in many sizes, so choose whichever you like best! Try them all for fun.
- Starting at the very top, put a dab of the hot glue on the styrofoam where you are putting the kiss.
- Work your way down from the top in circles, swirling the way down the to the bottom.
- Experiment with different decorations (ribbon, glitter, etc.) and different candies for the “star at the top” of the tree.
Let us know how yours looks and what you find works best! Thanks to Sweet Nothings NYC for the tutorial!
Handmade Icicle Ornaments
Looking for a simple, fun, and festive art project for the kids? These Icicle Ornaments are exactly that, plus it is a cute and sparkly sensory experience for the kids while decorating the tree!
What You’ll Need:
- metallic pipe cleaners
- pony beads
- thread (for hanging on the tree)
- pencil
Directions:
- To help keep the beads from falling off the end, bend the tip of each of the pipe cleaners around a few times.
- Put fun colored beads along the pipe cleaner. Leave space between them so you can see the sparkly metallic.
- Loop the pipe cleaner around the pencil to give it the spiral look.
- Loop a thread through the top bead and tie in a knot. Hang on the tree. It’s that simple!
Thanks to Happy Hooligans for the adorable idea!
DIY Glitter Branches
Such a cute and CHEAP idea for decorating for the holidays. Add a few decorative vases to put them in, and you’ve got a super sparkly room!
What You’ll Need:
- Tree branches (Make sure they’re thoroughly dry!)
- White glue
- Spray glue
- Paint brush
- Cookie sheet
- Silver spray paint
- Silver glitter
- Clear Colorfill accents (You can get them at Michael’s or other craft stores) OR Epsom Salt
Directions:
- Find a branch outside that you want in the size and shape that you like. Choose a few if you want to do more than one. Cut down to shape using lopping shears.
- Spray with silver spray paint and allow it to dry.
- Spray the spray glue over the whole branch making sure to get all the nooks and crannies.
- Sprinkle the silver glitter over the branch. Hold branch over a cookie sheet to help catch the glitter when it falls. If you do it outside, then it will be cleaner (choose a non-windy day).
- Glue in random places to make it look icy, then sprinkle with clear Colorfull accents over the glue (or Epsom salt). This creates an “icy build up”.
Thanks to Momtastic for the tutorial!
Recipe: Christmas Crunch
Christmas Crunch is a different type of sweet treat for Christmas. Definitely something not expected, and VERY delicious!
Ingredients:
- 1/2 cup popping popcorn kernels, or 2 bags tender white popcorn
- 1 (12 oz) bag Vanilla Candy Melts (such as Wilton Candy Melts)
- 1 1/3 cups broken pretzel pieces
- 1 (12 oz) bag green and red Milk Chocolate or Mint M&Ms
- Red, green and white Sprinkles
Directions:
- Pop popcorn in a popcorn popper into a large bowl (or alternately in the microwave if using microwave bags of popcorn) according to manufactures directions. Remove any unpopped popcorn kernels. Toss in broken pretzel pieces and M&Ms.
- Melt Vanilla Candy Melts in a microwave safe bowl on 50% power in 30 second intervals, stirring after each interval until melted and smooth. Drizzle half of melted chips over popcorn mixture, then stir, tossing gently a few times with a rubber spatula. Then drizzle remaining half of melted chips over popcorn, and gently stir mixture until evenly coated (don’t over stir though or your sprinkles wont stick if the white chips begin to set and harden).
- Pour mixture into a single layer onto wax paper. Sprinkle entire mixture evenly with sprinkles (as many as you’d like) before vanilla chips set.
- Allow to cool and harden, then gently break into pieces and store in an airtight container.
Thanks to Cooking Classy for the recipe!