Real Christmas

Here is Christmas decorating done right — red-neck style!

Central Iowa has had many versions of the Christmas truck over the last 25 years. Here’s how it began. Kris Marshall was carrying a generator and some Christmas lights to his church in his $50 used truck. Much like peanut butter and chocolate, the two combined to create something awesome and The Christmas Truck was born.

It’s not high-tech. Just lights taped to the truck. During the day it looks horrible. At night, it’s amazing. Marshall has since used eight trucks and added dozens of strands. The truck is always a 2WD Chevy/GMC with a regular cab and eight-foot truck bed.

Kris was a man with a dream. Now he’s driving Christmas cheer on the roads Iowa. Now all we need is a convoy of these trucks.

The art of making objects using salt dough is a popular way to make
Christmas ornaments and is fun for all the family the only requirements
needed to get started are flour, salt, water and basic equipment found
in the kitchen.

These include:

A bowl to mix your dough
A rolling pin for producing smooth sheets of dough
A grater for making decorative imprints on your dough
A garlic press for making strands for hair and foliage
Toothpicks or a small pointed knife for cutting and indenting details
An assortment of pastry cutters and moulds for decorative shapes found
at any kitchenware outlet.

To make salt dough Christmas ornaments I have found the following recipe
to be a good all round recipe for most projects.

Basic Salt Dough

2 Cups of Plain Flour (not self-raising)
1 cup Fine grained plain salt
1/2 cup water at room temperature

Mix the salt and flour in a large bowl and then add the water. Knead the
mixture for about 5-10 minutes until it becomes smooth and elastic.
Cover with cling wrap to stop the dough drying out and let the dough sit
for 30 minutes before using.

Fresh dough is best for shaping your Christmas ornaments. However, if
you find you have any leftover dough it can be wrapped in cling wrap or
an airtight container and stored in a cool place for a few days.

For flat or rolled projects it is best to roll out the dough straight
onto a baking sheet then it can be put straight into the oven.

Models or larger pieces can be assembled on a piece of hardboard that
has been oiled with vegetable oil to prevent it sticking to the board.

When finished and happy with your results you have a choice of Air
Drying or baking your project in the oven. Ensuring your projects are
correctly dried ensures they will last a long time so it is important
that this is not hurried.

Air drying is suitable for flat, small pieces or for colored pieces
where baking will alter the color of the finished project.

Oven drying is the most popular method and requires careful attention to
accurate temperature control to avoid burning. Bake for approx 2 hours
using a low temperature setting 50-70C for the first half hour then
increase temperature slowly to 90-100C and cook until the piece is
uniform in color.

While baking if any air bubbles appear pierce the bubbles with a pin and
gently depress the dough. If the dough starts to darken before cooking
is complete cover with a piece of aluminium foil.

The dough is cooked when it hard and sounds hollow when tapped. Turn the
oven off and leave in oven until cool.

Any burns can be sandpapered off with fine- medium grade sandpaper. An
Emery board or small file can be used for delicate or intricate sanding
on objects.

Your finished projects can be left unpainted but they must be sealed on
all sides (including underneath) with varnish, gloss or matt, for
protection otherwise they will not last long when exposed to air.

When thoroughly dry sand any imperfections. At this stage you can paint
your projects then seal with a final coat of varnish.

Brightly colored pieces will look more vibrant painted with a glossy
finish and neutral muted colors are suited to a matt finish.

Using a polyurethane varnish on food colored models instead of
water-based varnish helps to intensify the color.

About the Author: Jill is the owner Netwrite-Publish. For more home and
garden ideas for everyday living visit http://www.netwrite-publish.com

Having a live Christmas tree that you plant outdoors after the holidays may seem like the green thing to do. But there are complexities to consider. It’s a lot of trouble and the tree’s long-term survival is iffy.

1. You would have to dig the hole before the ground freezes — by Thanksgiving, to be safe. You’d have to cover the pile of soil to keep it from freezing until you backfilled the hole.

2. Trees don’t normally live in houses and indoor heated air is very tough on them. You would only be able to keep the tree indoors for a few days, watering it diligently, and then would have to plant it outdoors right away. And you still would stress it.

3. It would be very hard to maneuver the heavy tree in and out of the house. The root ball on a 4- or 5-foot tree can weigh a couple of hundred pounds.

4. How would you water it indoors? You would have to put it in a galvanized washtub or other very large waterproof container. Which means you would have to lift it, and remember, it would weigh a ton.

5. You would have to go easy on the decorations, which can break branches, and the lights, which can dry out the tree.

6. The kind of tree you think of as a Christmas tree might not be what you need in your landscape in the long term. Any of the traditional evergreens might rapidly outgrow your space. It would be smarter to choose a kind of tree or shrub that is right for your yard — possibly a deciduous species — even if it doesn’t look much like what you think of as a Christmas tree.

7. A live tree likely will end up being more expensive than a cut tree and you may not have much of a choice — unless you buy it soon, while nurseries have a good selection, and keep it, watered, with the root ball covered in mulch, in a sheltered spot until Christmas.

Holly is a beautiful plant which can be grown almost anywhere except Australia and Antarctica. Most holly varieties are evergreen and have red berries which attract birds, squirrels and deer in the wintertime.

Select your holly carefully. Hollies range in size from 6 inches to 70 feet tall. While many aren’t hardy to USDA zones below 5 or 6 there are hollies that will survive in colder climates. Protect hollies from cold drying winds in the northern zones.

The holly which everyone is familiar with at Christmas time is the English holly (ilex aquifolium). This variety is only hardy to zone 6.

In order to produce berries female holly plants need a male plant growing within 30 to 40 feet away.

Hollies like full sun, well drained organic acidic soil.

Hollies need to be pruned to produce a plant with lots of leaves. They can be shaped to almost any geometrical design. Just prune back the tips of the current seasons growth any time after late summer throughout autumn and winter.

Mulch holly to keep it weed free.

Hollies don’t like to be transplanted. Buy small plants and plant them in their permanent position. If transplanting an
established plant remove it very carefully with a large root ball in late winter or early spring.

Protect holly plants from rabbits.

Hollies with few berries could be experiencing problems of poor pollination, high nitrogen in the soil, and damage to blossoms from spring frosts.

Finally, you may need numerous individual plants so you don’t hack the poor things to death every Christmas.

Also, if you plan to use your pruned holly branches indoors for Christmas decoration, be sure to plant several holly plants in order to not take too much from any one plant.

Author: Marilyn Pokorney
Freelance writer of science, nature, animals and the environment.
Also loves crafts, gardening, and reading. Website: http://www.apluswriting.net

No one wants to throw away Christmas cards after Christmas. It seems like such a waste! I have a few creative ideas for recycling Christmas cards from visitors to my web site, as well as a few crafty ideas of my own:

If there was no writing or printing on the reverse side of the front of the card, use the picture portion of the card as a post card type Christmas card. On the blank side draw a dividing line; write a message on one side, and on the other side write the recipient’s address and place the postage stamp. Not only does this recycle old cards, it saves money on postage because it is cheaper to mail postcards than letters.

Use pinking shears to cut designs in the front of an old Christmas card. Glue each design to a small folded construction paper card to make simple gift tags. Then you can write the “From:” and “To:” names on the inside of the gift tag.

Cut out pictures you like and glue them to construction paper and laminate it. You will have pretty placemats for Christmas dinner.

One year I used my Christmas cards to create a keepsake album for family Christmas letters. I cut the cards into different shapes and decoupaged them to cardstock I had cut to 8 1/2 x 11 size. I bound the album together by punching three holes in the cover as well as in the Christmas letters. I tied the album together with holiday ribbons. You could also slip the cardstock into the cover of a three-ring binder. I used an antique colored decoupage to give the album an aged look.

This year I am using my Christmas cards (plus a few cards saved from previous years) to create a keepsake ornament container for my college aged daughter. I was watching television, eating popcorn from my holiday popcorn tin, and all the sudden it hit me that the tin container would make a perfect storage container for Christmas ornaments. I will decoupage the Christmas cards to the tin container, and use the container to store ornaments we have been buying for my daughter every year for her to have when she gets married. She will also have a beautiful keepsake ornament container.

Using old Christmas cards can be very sentimental. In just a few short years you may be holding on to Christmas cards from relatives who aren’t around any more. What better way to remember them than preserving their handwriting in creative ways that your family will enjoy for generations to come.

About the Author: Rachel Paxton is a freelance writer and mom. For more recipes, organizing tips, home decorating, crafts, holiday hints, and more, visit Creative Homemaking at http://www.creativehomemaking.com

Do you celebrate Christmas? If you do, chances are you will celebrate the holidays with a Christmas tree. Each year, the majority of Americans purchase a Christmas tree for their homes. Whether that tree is real or an artificial one, it is often decorated with Christmas decorations. Different individuals decorate their Christmas trees in different ways. Many choose to theme their Christmas trees. If you are planning on decorating your Christmas tree this year, you may be wondering whether or not it is really worth it to decorate your Christmas tree with a theme. In all honesty, it depends.

Before you can start to determine whether or not it would be worth it for you to decorate your Christmas tree with a theme, it is important to note that different individuals have different views on themes. There are many Christmas tree owners that choose to theme their Christmas trees by having everything a particular color. For instance, there are some who choose to have a white Christmas tree with gold and red decorations. All of the decorations typically match. While many take this simple approach, there are others who take it a step further. There are some parents who tend to focus their Christmas tree theme around a cartoon character or something else that their kids enjoy. The decorations used are all typically associated in one way or another.

The type of theme that you would like to use, if you choose to use one, will help to determine whether or not you should go through the hassle of decorating your Christmas tree with a particular theme. For example, it was mentioned above that many just theme their Christmas trees with a particular set of colors. While this can still be difficult to do, it is one of the easier ways to have a Christmas tree theme, especially if the colors are traditional holiday colors. Anything different and you may spend days or even weeks searching for Christmas tree decorations; Christmas tree decorations that may be more than you are willing to pay for. So, if you are interested in decorating your Christmas tree with a theme, but without having to go through all of the hassle, you are advised to take the simplest approach.

If you do decide to decorate your Christmas tree with a particular theme, you may want to think about shopping for your Christmas tree decorations early. Around the months of October and November, the majority of individuals start shopping for Christmas decorations. When this occurs, the selection of decorations available drastically decreases. When you want to theme your Christmas tree, there is a good chance that you will want certain types of Christmas tree decorations, such as lights and ornaments. If you want to make sure that you get exactly the Christmas tree decorations that you were looking for, you are advised to start purchasing Christmas decorations as soon as they become available or as soon as you make the decision do decorate your Christmas tree a certain way.

If you are unable to find the Christmas tree decorations that you were looking for in one of your local retail stores, you are advised to give online shopping some thought. In fact, if you are planning on having a somewhat unique Christmas tree theme, you will find it easier to find what you are looking for online. When searching for themed Christmas tree decorations online, you will want to perform a standard internet search. For instance, if you were planning on having the theme of your Christmas tree be a popular cartoon character or a well-known Christmas symbol, such as an angel, you will want to tailor your search to exactly what you are looking for.

In addition to everything that was mentioned above, it is also important to examine the time that it will take to theme a Christmas tree. When it comes to themed Christmas trees, most tree owners want to get their Christmas trees exactly as they envisioned it in their minds. Unfortunately, that can take a lot of time and experimenting. It does not mean that you shouldn’t theme your Christmas tree this year, it just means that you many want to examine whether or not you really have the time to do so.

About the Author: Published by Daves-InfoRama, Christmas Shopping Tips and A Guide To Christmas Shopping

The purpose of a present is to make the recipient feel treasured, and with a little special care in the gift wrap, you can do just that.

Here are 24 creative gift wrap ideas.

1. Wrap your gifts with another gift. For example, you might wrap a gift with a bright new silk scarf. Wrap a gift for a gourmet with a pretty printed kitchen towel. Wrap a gift for a child in a fun and colorful new T shirt, and a gift for
a baby in a receiving blanket. Tie a gift for a man with a new necktie. Finish a gift for a woman with a new necklace.

2. Strive to use wrap that coordinates with the gift. For example, use fun scrapbooking paper for a crafter and copies of old maps for a traveler.

3. Print your favorite family photos of the year onto plain white paper and use for wrapping small treasures.

4. Use fabric scraps and ribbon. Each time you are in a discount store, stop by the fabric clearance section. You can often find elegant and unique supplies at a deep discount.

5. Cut shapes or monograms from cardstock or old holiday greeting cards and hang from ribbon, jute or yarn.

6. Make your own gift wrap with waxed paper and the embellishments of your choice. First, cover your ironing board with a cloth. Take a sheet of waxed paper and lay it flat on the cloth. Adorn the paper with flower petals, confetti, dried leaves, anything you like that is relatively flat. Now put another piece of waxed paper on top. Place another cloth on top of the waxed paper and run a hot iron over the top. The heat from your iron will seal the edges together.

7. Recycle gift wrap from previous years.

8. Sew simple fabric gift bags that can be reused year after year.

9. Adorn the gift with silk flowers or small charms. The scrapbooking industry has made available so many amazing little embellishments that are perfect for adorning gifts.

10. Use rubber stamps to stamp the name or monogram of the recipient (or a special holiday message).

11. Use a particular section of the newspaper as gift wrap. Whether it is the comics or the sports page, this is an easy, inexpensive way to add a personal touch, especially when combined with one of these other techniques.

12. Fold a gift box from holiday cards.

13. Wrap a gift in a drawing or painting that your children have made.

14. Use natural elements from your backyard to adorn gifts. Pine boughs or pine cones, dried grasses, and dried leaves are all charming choices.

15. Purchase plain paper and ask your children to decorate the wrapped item or gift bag with drawings and special messages.

16. Browse flea markets, garage sales, or dollar stores for inexpensive and unique boxes, bags, and bows. You can even decoupage an old cigar box with photos or memorabilia and create a gift box that is a gift in itself.

17. Use stamps, stencils and stickers to dress up plain white or brown paper.

18. If you have young children, ask them to make handprints on plain white or brown gift wrap before wrapping presents for their grandparents.

19. Create a scavenger hunt to lead them on a search for their gift. My kids love to find their presents through a series of clues, and it builds such lively anticipation for the present itself.

20. Find an inexpensive purse or handbag at a discount store and package a range of gifts inside. You might even include a new wallet with a gift card or two.

21. Purchase inexpensive balsa wood boxes at craft or hobby stores. Paint them and adorn with stickers, rhinestones, and beads. The gift box becomes a one of a kind treasure box. This is especially appreciated among young children, who love
new keepsake boxes.

22. Tie an old fashioned rattle on a gift for a baby.

23. Use cloth diapers for a baby gift and attach with jumbo diaper pins.

24. Create a gift basket. Fill the basket with colorful crumpled paper, tinsel, raffia or straw. Assemble small gift items inside into an attractive display. Top it all of with colorful, decorative cellophane. The cellophane should be at least twice as wide as the diameter of the basket. Place the basket in the middle of the cellophane and gather the excess at the top, tying it with a shiny ribbon.

With a little extra time and attention, you can make a memorable gift even more so by choosing materials and gift wrap that suits the personality and style of the recipient.

Susie Cortright is the founder of Momscape.com and Susies-Coupons.com, where she hand picks the best online coupons, including coupons for photos and gifts, as well as coupons for gift wrap supplies: http://www.susies-coupons.com/photo.htm and http://www.susies-coupons.com/trading-co.htm