Holiday Storage Ideas

Holiday & Christmas Decoration Storage Tips
From Dianne Hadaway,
Your Guide to Single Parents @ About.com
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Tips For Safely Storing Your Ornaments & Holiday Decor
Have you ever been lazy about properly storing your Holiday or Christmas decorations? I admit, I'm guilty of it. I thought I'd just stick them in the garage and handle them later.

Unfortunately, my procrastinating meant disaster for some of my precious and irreplaceable ornaments and decorations. When I finally searched through the boxes I had stuffed things in after the holidays, I found some items were broken, some were sticky, and some I just never found - they're still in a box somewhere that I can't locate.

That was a hard lesson, but it did teach me not to wait when it comes to taking care of these precious and treasured ornaments.

Each year I add new holiday ornaments and decorations to my collection. The kids make new ornaments with their pictures in them and I find new ones in the after Christmas clearance sales. All those ornaments must be stored as efficiently and properly as possible, so now I have a tradition of buying new storage items to contain them safely too. Below are some of the wonderful organizers and containers I found to choose from.

COMPARE PRICES ON THESE STORAGE ITEMS:

Christmas Ornament Storage XL, hunter green storage box divided into 75 compartments
]Clear Plastic Ornament Chest and Wreath Bags
Ornament and Trimming Storage Box from Orvis
Snap N' Stack Ornament Storage Box by Snapware
Gift Wrap Storage Bag - Nice cylindar style inexpensive protection for Holiday Gift Wrap
Gift Wrap Storage Box
Rubbermaid Holiday Wreath Storage Bag - 6 Pack
Frontgate Rolling Canvas Storage Cart, holds holiday wreaths, garlands, and all those oversized decorations
Upscale Frontgate Canvas Covered Holiday Storage Boxes, black-and-tan jacquard pattern, black leather handles
Heavy-duty vinyl gift wrap organizer, from Lillian Vernon or Miles Kimbal
Rubbermaid Holiday Tree Storage Bag - 6 Pack
Proper storage of your ornaments and decorations keeps them in perfect condition year after year. Purchase sturdy storage containers and resolve to store your treasures properly this year!

FIRST: WHAT NOT TO DO!

Don't wrap ornaments or decorations in newspaper, printed tissue or other printed papers. The inks can rub off on the ornaments and ruin them.
Keep glass ornaments away from damp environments, like basements, garages, storage units, or attics. These treasures need to be kept inside to avoid mold or mildew damage.
Avoid using plastic shopping bags for storage as they tend to break down or weaken over time.
CONTAINERS

Compartmentalized ornament boxes are wonderful and can be found at discount department stores or ordered online.
Specially made containers are great, but you can also use sturdy cardboard boxes and inexpensive plastic bins with lids. It's a good idea to save your original ornament boxes whenever possible, especially for breakable items as they are usually packaged to prevent damage.
POSITIVE PACKING TIPS

Save and organize your gift wrapping materials and in a plastic organizer made especially for this purpose. You won't have to buy all new materials next year, and you'll know exactly where your papers and bows are when you need them.
Long rolls of paper can also be stored by tying the rolls together with string or ribbon (don't tape them or use rubber bands that can mark or tear the paper) and lying them flat on a closet shelf. Store gift bags by removing any tissue paper from the bags, fold bags carefully and store the folded bags in your largest gift bag or in a large department store bag. Hang or place the bag so that it won't be crushed or come into contact with moisture.
Sturdy cardboard inserts (like the ones packed inside all those toy packages!) work great for wrapping garlands around to keep them flat and untangled. Layer in paper bags for protection and easy handling next year.
Wrap individual strings of lights around cardboard inserts. Check for broken or burned out lights and replace or mark with a colored twist-tie for replacement next year. Buy replacement bulbs in the after Christmas sales!
You can quickly make a cloth bags to store and protect your lights by cutting the legs from a pair of old, worn out jeans and either sew, glue or use fusable web to seal one end. Place lights inside the bag and secure the open end with a large rubber band and by tying a length of string securely around the end. The bags can then be securely hung up in your storage area on a hook or nail. Store smaller strings of lights (for wreathes, or other decorations) in plastic containers marked to identify what the lights are used for.
Store extension cords with lights so you can locate them next year when you need them. Use acid free tissue paper to wrap loose ornaments and place in shallow, sturdy cardboard boxes or plastic ornament containers.

Important Safe Storage Tips for Holiday Ornaments, Trees, Wreaths, and Decorations

Use acid free tissue paper to wrap loose ornaments and place in shallow, sturdy cardboard boxes or plastic containers.
Many home/school made ornaments have candy (peppermints, etc.) that can deteriorate, get gooey or sticky, attact pests, and are generally not easily stored. If you want to try to keep them, place each in a ziplock baggie to protect other items from direct contact.
Cushion ornaments by using lots of tissue between them. I don't recommend styrofoam peanuts as packing material because they can get wedged into an ornaments tiny openings and cause breakage, and moisture can also cause the material to stick to your ornaments
Avoid overcrowding a box of ornaments or making too many layers.
Use sturdy cardboard boxes to store antique or fragile ornaments rather than airtight plastic containers.
Ornaments with photos, natural materials (pinecones, dog biscuits, macaroni, etc.) should be wrapped in acid free tissue paper and stored in airtight containers to avoid attracting insects. Note that some natural materials may not store well from year to year.
Place small packets of silica gel (available at arts & crafts stores) in storage boxes to avoid mildew.
Wreaths should be wrapped in tissue paper and can be stored in cardboard boxes; avoid stacking wreaths.
Separate out any ornaments or objects in need of minor repairs and set aside for to fix before packing them away.
Store collections or like items together, snow globes, nutcrackers, bells, etc. so that each collection can be easily put together next year.
Label boxes for easy identity next year.
Use a clear plastic shoebox to organize and store extra gift tags, tape, scissors, small ribbons, trims, ornament hangers, cookie cutters and other small miscellaneous holiday items.
Ribbons and bows are best stored in a large plastic box so they won't be crushed or exposed to moisture.
STORAGE ENVIRONMENT

A cool, dry area where the temperature remains fairly steady is preferable for storage of your treasured collectibles.
Avoid storing holiday decorations in laundry rooms, garages, outside storage buildings, basements, or attics that are not temperature regulated.
A high closet shelf or indoor under the stairs storage area where the boxes can remain undisturbed is ideal, especially for fragile items.

COMPARE PRICES ON THESE STORAGE ITEMS:
Christmas Ornament Storage XL, hunter green storage box divided into 75 compartments
]Clear Plastic Ornament Chest and Wreath Bags
Ornament and Trimming Storage Box from Orvis
Snap N' Stack Ornament Storage Box by Snapware
Gift Wrap Storage Bag - Nice cylindar style inexpensive protection for Holiday Gift Wrap
Gift Wrap Storage Box
Rubbermaid Holiday Wreath Storage Bag - 6 Pack
Frontgate Rolling Canvas Storage Cart, holds holiday wreaths, garlands, and all those oversized decorations
Upscale Frontgate Canvas Covered Holiday Storage Boxes, black-and-tan jacquard pattern, black leather handles
Heavy-duty vinyl gift wrap organizer, from Lillian Vernon or Miles Kimbal
Rubbermaid Holiday Tree Storage Bag - 6 Pack

Wonderful Holiday Hostess Gifts

Being in direct sales, I am always hosting a party or a class or providing a workshop for a group. At the holidays it become even more so! Most of the time I am presented with the issue of purchasing something special for the hostess - a thank you for hosting a party with me. However, that can be challenging. Plus as the holiday approaches, money is tight. My direct sales business has wonderful products and does provide most of the items free. But often the host or hostesses have to wait to receive them, so I like to get something extra to give to him/her (yes men are interested in my products too) the night of the party. I have created this list after researching easy gifts, and then shared them with my consultants to see what they thought. The following items are what we chose as perfect hostess gifts for just about anyone.

Small Journal or Notebook
Stylish pen
Bag of Coffee, Tea or Hot Chocolate (especially good now)
Lotions, Soaps or Bath Gels (great if you sell these)
Candles
Personalized Stationary (use their name or initials)
Small Gift Basket (cheese, meat, crackers)
Coasters
Small Box of Gourment Chocolates
Notecards
Music CD
A Small Plant
Homemade "Gift In a Jar"
Gift Card
Small Knick Knack
Inventory - look through your inventory if you have anything there and choose a gift from that)

The only other suggestion we all came up with, was to constantly be watching for sales, etc. Recently my business started a sale, one of the products is such a good deal I bought 12 of them and they come in sets of 2! So you know I'm going to have 24 of these little bags - but I also have wonderful hostess gifts for this Christmas AND next Christmas! Do the same thing - watch for sales and discounts and use them! Then just find a spot in a closet and stack things. When you are going to a party or lunch or anything you might wish to bring a small gift - voila! Shop from your closet!

Frugal Stocking Stuffers for Anyone

What was that I forgot?
So the gifts are bought and wrapped and placed beautifully under the twinkling lights of your Christmas tree. Cookies for Santa have been left, and the children are sleeping all snuggled in their bed. Oh No! What about those stockings hung by the Chimney with Care? What do you put in those? Did you forget about that? Often the stockings are the last item we think about, and can sometimes be the hardest to fill. So what do you do when you have NO idea what to put in there? I've provided a few ideas for Stocking Stuffers to help ease your pain. I also would like to suggest that you go stroll through your local dollar store or dollar tree and check out all the fun gadgets and small items they sell to add to your stocking stuffers list. I think that if you use your imagination, you will have NO problem filling those stockings with the best stuffers ever (some are a bit pricier, so just ignore those if they are over your budget)!

Some ideas for Stocking Stuffers
Address book
Arts & Crafts Supplies
Bandaids (colored, characters)
Bath gel
Bath salts
Batteries (especially electronics lovers or gameboy lovers)
Beauty treatments
Bookmark
Books
Bottle Opener
Boxer Shorts (Girls Like These Too and they roll up well)
Bubble bath
Business Card Holder
Calculator
Calendar
Calling Cards
Candles
Candy
Card Games
Cars
CDs
Cell phone accessories
Chapstick
Chocolates
clock
Coasters
Coffee (flavored or specialty)
Cologne
Coloring Books
Cookies
CorkScrew
Cosmetics
Coupons
Crayons
Crossword Puzzles
Date book
Diary
Disposable Camera
Donation to favorite charity
DVDs
Earrings
electric pencil sharpener
electronics
Eyeglass Cleaner
Film
Flashlight
Games (Handheld)
Garden Tools
Gift Cards
Gift certificates
Gloves
Hair Accessories
Hand warmers
Harmonica
Hats
HeadPhones
Hobby goods
Hot chocolate
Ice Scraper
Jar of (favorite item)
Jewelry
Journal
Kaleidoscope
KeyChain
Kitchen Gadgets (egg timer, baster, etc)
Lingerie
LipStick and LipGloss
Lock De-Icer
Lotions
Lottery Tickets
Magazine subscription
Magnets
Maps
Mazes
Mirror
Mittens
Money
Mousepad
Mug
Music (online subscription: iTunes, etc)
Nail file
Nail polish
Napkin Rings
Night Light
Note cards
Notepad
Organizer
Ornaments
Packets of Hot Cocoa or other fun drinks
PaperWeight
Pens
Pefume
Picture frame/photos
Piggy Banks
Photo framed
Pot Pourri
Puzzles
Puzzle/Activity Booklets
Radio (personal size)
Razor
Scarf
Seeds
Shoelaces (Wild, Funky, Specialty)
Sidewalk Chalk
Slippers
Snow Globe
Soaps
Soap Dish
Socks
Stamp Pad with Stamps
Stationery
Stickers
Straws (silly, fun, festive, decorative)
Stuffed Toys
Tea (variety pack)
Tea Cup
Tire Guage
Tools
Toothbrush/toothpaste
Travel Alarm
Trinket Box
Videos
Wallet
Watch
Yo Yo

To get even MORE great ideas, look at November 28th, post. The gift basket contents can be made into stocking stuffers as well!

Christmas Cookies Recipes & Traditions

I thought I would share with you some great Christmas Cookies - well, the recipes that create the Christmas Cookies anyway. (sorry impossible for me to actually SHARE the cookies themselves with you) LOL

First, let me explain about the Christmas Cookies. Every year, we host a "Christmas Cookies Party". And every year, we invite our closest friends (usually that have children) and my kitchen becomes a madhouse for a few hours. It is also required that you actually bring a plate of Christmas cookies to share while we are baking. Why am I telling you this? Because this is probably one of my favorite traditions! And my children just eat it up too (literally I guess) LOL Ok, so Christmas Cookies spark smells and tastes that sometimes are found only at Holiday time at my house. (the good kind of smells people!)

So with everyone gathered at my house and usually crammed into my kitchen (thankfully it's a decent size), we each have our own ingredients and bowls that we've come equipped with. Now, I will admit - the whole process is a little expensive for me, since it's my oven we use. However, you can bake two pans of cookies (sometimes three) at one time, and often more than a dozen little cookies can fit on one pan (just think smaller cookies and kind of scatter them a little).

Ok, so if you're really interested in how we run the whole party, just ask me - otherwise I'm diving into the Recipes for the Christmas Cookies now.

Ok, my favorite first:

Peanut Butter Topped Brownies
For the bars
You will need:
6 squares (6oz) of unsweetened baking chocolate, coarsely chopped
1 c. (2 sticks) unsalted butter
2 c. sugar
1 t. vanilla extract
4 large eggs
1 c. all purpose flour
1/2 c. chopped nuts (optional)
OR - you can take the easy way out and use a boxed brownie mix to make the process go faster (it's more expensive in the long run however).
Heat your oven to 350°F. This recipe originally called for a 9" square baking pan but we have used a 9"x13" and it just makes a thinner brownie but still equally as moist and delicious. (and you get more) Line your baking pan with tin foil (don't ask just do it!), be sure to leave two sides of it over lapping the two ends (trust me this comes in later). Melt chocolate and butter in saucepan over low heat, stirring constantly, until smooth. Let cool about 5 minutes. With a whisk or electric mixer, add sugar and vanilla just until blended. Whisk in eggs, 1 at a time, just until blended. Whisk until mixture is velvety. Add flour and whisk until blended, and then stir in optional nuts. Spread entire mixture into pan. Bake 35-45 minutes (if using the 9” square pan or only for about 25-30 minutes for the 9x13” pan). You are looking for the top to crack near the edges and a tester inserted into the middle comes out with moist crumbs. (I usually begin checking mine at about 20 minutes). Cool completely in pan on a wire rack. (takes awhile).
Next, the toppings:
Peanut Butter Cream:
¾ c. regular peanut butter, smooth or crunchy (do not use reduced fat it won’t work right)
1 c. confectioners’ sugar
2 T. unsalted butter, softened
1 t. vanilla extract
Chocolate Glaze:
6oz. Semisweet or bittersweet chocolate, coarsely chopped
½ stick (1/4 c.) unsalted butter
1 T. corn syrup
For the butter cream – beat all ingredients with an electric mixer until smooth. Spread evenly over brownies. Freeze 1 hour or cover and refrigerate overnight until VERY firm.
When it’s firm, prepare the chocolate glaze. Melt chocolate and butter in a saucepan over very low heat, stirring often. Stir in corn syrup until blended. Let cool until no longer hot but still loose and spreadable. (about 8-10 minutes) Spread glaze over buttercream . Refrigerate about 30 minutes. Lift foil by ends onto a cutting board. Cut into bars, dipping knife into hot water and drying it between cuts (this makes nice clean cuts) Then remove bars from foil, place on a serving plate or on individual serving plates to give out as gifts! (Makes approx 32 bars!)

Ok, the next recipe is interesting – it starts with ONE basic cookie dough recipe that makes TWO delicious cookies. (that don’t taste anything alike!) We double, triple and sometimes quadruple the basic dough recipe and make all kinds of different cookies with it!)

Basic Dough Recipe

2 sticks butter (not spread), softened
½ cup granulated sugar
½ cup brown sugar
1 large egg plus white of 1 large egg
1 ½ t. vanilla extract
¾ t. baking powder
½ t. salt
2 ¼ c. flour
Beat all ingredients except the flour in a large bowl with mixer on medium speed until fluffy. Reduce speed to low, gradually adding flour and beat just until blended. Divide the dough into two equal portions (about 1 ½ cups each – unless you doubled the recipe)
Then proceed onto the cookie making.

For Triple Chocolate Chunk Cookies
1 portion of basic cookie dough, at room temperature
½ c. coarsely chopped macadamia nuts, walnuts or pecans
¾ c. coarsely chopped chocolate (I tried ¼ c. dark, milk and bittersweet chocolate – you could use white chocolate but we don’t like that here)
Heat oven to 350° F. Have baking sheets ready. Drop heaping Tbs. 2 inches apart on ungreased baking sheet. Bake 12-14 minutes until light golden around edges. Cool on baking sheet on wire rack for about 2 minutes, then remove to wire rack to cool completely.

For Chocolate Cherry Swirls
1 portion of basic cookie dough, at room temperature
2 T. unsweetened cocoa powder
¼ c. dried cherries, finely chopped (I used maraschino cherries that I had washed with water (so no excess juice) wrapped them in a towel to soak up the rest of the water and then allowed them to air dry about 2 hours or so before I was ready to use them – although they weren’t totally “dry” they were VERY good) – dried cranberries can also work!
½ t. almond or vanilla extract
Divide dough in half and place each half in a bowl. Add cocoa to 1 bowl, cherries and extract to the other bowl. Stir each until added ingredients are well blended. Place each half of dough between 2 sheets of waxed paper. With a rolling pin, roll each into a 9x6” rectangle. Remove top sheets of paper. Invert cherry layer on top of chocolate layer. Freeze for 10 minutes until slightly firm. Remove paper from top and roll up tightly from a long side, pressing together any cracks in chocolate dough as you go. Wrap in waxed paper and freeze 1 ½ hours or until VERY firm. Heat oven to 350° F. Cut log in ¼-inch-thick slices. Place about 1 inch apart on ungreased cookie sheet. Bake 10-12 minutes until bottoms are light golden. Cool on sheet on wire rack for 2 minutes, then remove to cool completely on wire rack.

You can also make Snicker Doodles with this recipe.
You will need:
1 portion of basic cookie dough, room temperature
2. T. sugar
½ t. cinnamon
¼ t. nutmeg
White of 1 large egg
2 T. sliced almonds
Heat oven to 350° F. Put sugar, cinnamon and nutmeg in small bowl. Stir to mix up. In another small bowl, lightly beat egg white with a fork. Shape level Tablespoons of dough into 1 ¼ inch balls. Roll in sugar mixture, then place 2” apart on ungreased cookie sheet. Flatten balls slightly with bottom of a glass, brush tops with egg white and decorate each with 3-4 almond slices. Bake 9-11 minutes until edges are golden. Cool for 2 minutes on cookie sheet then remove to wire rack to cool completely.



I will post more later! (that is if there is a response for them!)

Crockpot Adventures

Check out Michele's website - crockpot recipes galore!! Wow!
Crockpot Adventures

I just purchased a $10 (yes you read that right) Rival 4qt Crockpot for my brother for Christmas. He is a bachelor, and does't cook too often. So I was hoping that if he had the crockpot he might use it a little and save $ that way. We are also giving him the book More Slow Cooker Recipes by Betty Crocker - it has some great things in there that he will LOVE! I copied a few of the recipes down on index cards and then decided it was ridiculous and just went and bought a second copy for myself :) Love it and have already tried 3 recipes! Yummy and the house always smells SO good!
If you want it, buy it through Amazon!



Totally worth it! I assure you!

I jumped the Gun a little!

Originally this post talked about leaving blogger, because I thought they had done away with a few of the features I used frequently! I had been searching for another blog when a comment attached to this post caught my eye and I was able to "fix" my complaint with the help of another blogger! LOL So I jumped the gun a little. Perhaps I should have looked harder (I did look all over the blogger site for the answers to some of my questions, but only 2 were answered). NEEDLESS to say at this point, I am staying!! :) I really DO like blogger so it would have been sad to leave - plus look at all my hard work! UGH!

~Nicole~
(who will not be so quick to jump the gun again!)

Gift Basket Ideas & Survival Kit Ideas

We are beginning our unofficial "Countdown To Christmas" today - (this article was not TRULY posted on this date, but we had some "blogger issues" and are going back to add the articles already written!)

Today's post actually begins with a download. Last year I wrote an ebook (and yes required payment) and filled it with WONDERFUL gift basket Ideas and survival kit Ideas. I figure with Christmas right around the corner, who couldn't use some Gift Basket Ideas to help think of the perfect gift for everyone on your list. I have used some of these very ideas as not only gift sparks but my own gift basket ideas. I love them and they really get you thinking of some fun, inovative, and creative gifts. Some people are just plain hard to buy for, but with the Gift Basket Ideas and Survival Kit Ideas you are sure to find something for EVERYONE on your list! And if not, MAKE A KIT or BASKET!
Here is a list of the contents:
The Sections you will find:
· Gift Baskets
· Gift Basket Container and Fillers
· Build Your Own Survival Kits
· Survival Kits for Everyone
· Bags of "Poop"
· Just for Fun Gifts
· Candy-Grams

I suggest right-clicking and hit "save as" to download it faster.
Gift Basket Ideas & Survival Kit Ideas
This download requires Adobe Acrobat - Get it Here

I have linked it here for FREE. If you like it, all I ask is that you consider donating $1.25 for the bandwith it cost to host the ebook. It is NOT required, but we are all on a frugal budget, and this would help out. If the bandwith get's to be too much, I will have to remove it. You can send it to me via paypal: richmontwithnicole@gmail.com

Thanks for supporting my efforts!

Trash To Treasures

I've been a "Trash to Treasure" girl for as long as I can remember. (I'm sure if you ask my ex husband, even he will agree).
I have come up with some creative ideas using TRASH to create beautiful Christmas treasures.

Lightbulbs - When a lightbulb in burnt out, SAVE it. I use white acrylic paint and paint the entire glass part white. I then paint the "plug in part" a metallic gold color or metallic silver. Take various colors of paints and paint the "white part" of the bulb. Paint stars, stripes, splatters, shapes, objects, whatever your heart is content with. Buy some gold string and hang from your tree.

Toilet paper tubes - wrap them in festive wrapping after inserting some fun little gifts, candy or nuts inside. Tie curling ribbons on the ends and place all over the house in clusters. You can also use paper towel tubes too.

Soup cans - decorate in festive gift wrap or fabrics. Scrapbook patterned paper works well too (I know from experience) LOL Modge Podge the paper/fabric all over the outside of the soup can. Tie a beautiful ribbon around the outside. Fill with cinnamon sticks for a scented smell - or poke holes in the can and create a candle holder. Fill with pens and pencils for a festive look on your desk or do a coffee can sized one to hold cooking utensils in the kitchen. There are at least a dozen more things I can think of to use these for. You can make a handle for your soup can by hot gluing the end of a pipe cleaner to either side of the can. Be sure it sets well.

Milk Jugs - huh you ask? Oh yes, oh yes! I have ideas!! Make a Holiday Luminary with your Milk jugs. This is an easy decoration to make that will light up the night for your holiday party or your frontstep at home. All you need is:
1 gallon plastic milk jug , 6 cups of sand, scissors, colored construction paper/used wrapping paper or other scrap paper, tape or glue, 1 votive candle. How do you make it? First, be sure and clean out the milk jug with water and soap so that no milk residue remains. Now, cut the top off of the jug so that you still have the entire handle, but so that the front top part of the jug is open. Place about 1 inch of sand in the bottom of the jug. Fold the construction paper/wrapping paper/or other scrap paper around the jug and mark the shape on the paper. Cut out the paper to match the shape of the jug, then cut out a holiday design in the center of the paper using the scissors. If you are using plain scrap paper, make a holiday design on the outside to make the luminary more decorative. Tape or glue the construction paper to the outside of the jug. Place your candle in the sand so that it is placed in the center of the jug. Set the luminary outside by your driveway or on your porch. Light the candle in the luminary to welcome holiday visitors or passers by.
Make several and line the driveway or surround your porch with them or give them as gifts. Have fun!

Jars - Whether it's mayo, peanut butter, jelly or chip dip - clean the jar thouroughly and remove as much of the label as you possibly can (sometimes peeling the label and then running it through the dishwasher will work well). Now, what to do with these jars? Well, they can be used for all sorts of things - first, you can use them as "gifts in a jar" which will be discussed later on. You can place candles inside and use them as a candle holder, paint them, stuff them with holiday ribbons and items, etc.
We made "snow globes" last year with a few. We used water, glitter and some little floatable confetti. We glued a little plastic snowman in the lid and glued the lid to the top of the jar. Amazingly they still look pretty cute this year. Anyway, you can do lots with them. I made on and glued a plastic cross inside and used gold glitter. They are simple to make and are really pretty and most people pick them up when they come over.

Anyway, that's all for now!

Lighted Christmas Wreath

Lighted Christmas Wreath

Is your wreath boring? Or do you have a plain green one just lying around waiting to be decorated for the holiday - if you were like me, you purchased it last year for 75% off at Michaels! LOL

Who doesn't love the look of a lighted wreath. But store bought one's are pricey to say the least (ok well I've seen some for only $10 but they aren't very special).
You can purchase a plain green wreath very inexpensively, or use one you already have.
Our tree is prelit now, so I have BOATLOADS of small strands of lights. But if you don't, you can purchase them for about $1.00 at the dollar tree, or even wal-mart often has them for .99-$2.99.
Put the two items together (wreath and lights) and wow! You have the look of a professionally lighted Christmas wreath.

For my wreath I used clear lights (I was going for a more elegant look), but multi-colored lights are festive and fun!
I took my green wreath and wrapped the lights around it kind of like candy cane striped. If the strand is super long, just keep going doubling up in the same spots you already wrapped.
Be sure you leave the "outlet" towards the bottom, and be sure you have an extension cord that can reach it.
Now that you're finished, plug it in and see your very own design.
NOW, I couldn't just leave my wreath like that. It looked too "boring". So I added a gold bow (red would look great too), tied and hot glued it to the bottom. I also added a few tiny pinecones that we found on a nature walk the previous year. I also hot glued those to the wreath.
I thought my wreath was done then, but I wound up visiting Michael's about a week later, and found these little berry sprigs for .99 and bought them. I cut them apart and stuck them all over the wreath. The finished result was absolutely gorgeous.
As people drive by, they see a beautifully lit wreath on my front door (though you could put it in a window) and they have no idea that I made the whole thing myself.

Boxes, Candles, and More!

Centerpiece ideas, and more.

The holidays don't have to cost you a fortune for decorations, because often you can use what you already have. For instance -
if you have tons of votives in little glass jars, place a mirror or stainless steel silver platter in the center of your holiday table. Cluster about 5-6 candles on it. You can even decorate by adding pieces of greenery around the candles. Simple elegance.

An idea I did last year
I was having my family over and realized that I did not have a ton of "serving bowls" etc. I had read an article on frugality that suggested baskets. Well, all my baskets were being used and quite frankly I didn't want to take everything apart. So I came up with a clever idea. I took shoe boxes and other various sized boxes - painted them gold and silver and wrapped bows around the outside (kind of like a present). I then placed tissue paper inside the box to "line it" and I wound up serving rolls, nuts and snack mix in the boxes. I used various sizes and it actually added a festive touch to my table. If I can find photos, I will post them!

A gift? A Decoration? You choose!

Today's little "tip"/"idea", can be used as a gift, OR a decoration. Or maybe both! You choose!

What you'll need is some clear glass plates with no design on it - we found ours at Big Lots this year, but I've seen them at Wal-mart too! (I bought some last year!) - they're just big plain glass plates with no etching or anything on them. You can get different shapes, or sizes, but it's important that the texture is smooth. You'll also need "Mod Podge" which you can find in the craft section at Walmart or any craft store(get the biggest jar you can find, it's cheaper to buy it that way, and you'll have LOTS to make tons of these!). Finally, you need some pretty Christmas wrapping paper (actually, any kind of wrapping paper will do, or designed tissue, even window clings work, I just found out. Magazine cuttings, scraps of ribbons, ANYTHING you choose.)

You'll want to cut out the pictures from the wrapping paper, or just unpeel the window clings from their backing, and decide how you want the design to look on the plate when right side up. Then, with one of those sponge paint brushes (.49 at M's), you'll spread Mod Podge all over the BACK of the plate, then stick your pictures right onto that. You need to work fast as the Mod Podge dries fairly quickly. After getting all your pictures on the way you want them, let it all dry.

When it's dry, you'll just spread another layer of Mod Podge over the whole back of the plate as a "sealant", then stick a little piece of felt on the part where the plate would sit on the table, that way it won't scrape the pictures or anything when you set it down. Let all that dry as well. I chose to cut my felt into a circle, and fit it to the bottom of the plate.

Now, when you set the plate down the right way, your design shows through! Bake up some cookies or other Christmas treats, put them on the plate and make that your gift. Be sure to give a note with the plate telling the recipient not to put it in the dishwasher or in water - to clean, they'll just need to wipe it off with a damp cloth. It's a very lovely and inexpensive gift to give for any holiday or birthday!

What's the New Topic!?!?!

I thought it would be fun, since Christmas is SOOOOO close to focus on holiday decorations and using what you have, saving money, etc. Beginning last week, and ending around Christmas, we will focus all our attention on holiday related tips! So enjoy!! We'll go back to everyday frugality after the holidays!

So onward we go!

Its that time already! Christmas is in full swing with the hurry-scurry, Christmas carols, wrapping paper, and pine needles on the carpet. It can be exciting and invigorating; it can also be exhausting! So how can I decorate for less you ask?

Day 1 - My first tip is use what you have. Before you dash out to the craft store or trim-a-tree shop, pay a visit to the attic or storage room. Memories fade from year to year, so refresh yours with a quick inventory of the holiday decorations you already have on hand. Keep them firmly in mind as you read Christmas magazines or check out the Festival of Trees displays. Can you update your decor with a few simple additions? I'm sure you can!

After you figure out what you have and how you can use it, you can begin to implement it. A tip for you, run out to Lowes, or Home depot - ask if you can buy up their wood scraps, various sizes is good. Bring them home and wrap the wood pieces, Tie ribbons, etc. Use scraps of wrapping paper from last year. Or pick new wrapping paper in colors you like! These can be used, year after year, if stored properly together. And they can be displayed all through the house - a few on the mantle, some on the coffee table, a larger one on the Christmas table, and perhaps a few clustered together near the front door in a corner? I can think of all sorts of places that you could place these inexpensive, but festive little decorations. So run! Don't walk! To ANY home improvement store! Now! (you can find replacement squares - use empty jello boxes, macaroni boxes, spagetti boxes, and so on for diff. sizes and shapes. You might want to fill the boxes with some crumpled newspaper to weigh them down a little). Have fun!

Fa-La-La-La-La, My shoppings done!

I'm actually sorry this week is over! I like these ideas, and it's gotten my mind going for Christmas (plus I have so many more to share!!) LOL
Maybe soon I'll add another week (for those last minute Christmas gifts).

Today's final gift idea is actually two ideas. :) I decided to throw them both in because they are terrific ideas!

- Make your favorite homemade cookie mix and pack in mason jars, seal and attach recipe. This would be great for teachers gifts and friends who drop by unexpectedly with a gift. (or neighbors that happened to me last year!)
- Fix a large box of items such as dishwashing liquid, soap, toothpaste, shampoo, etc. that you have gotten for almost nothing using double coupons and sales together. (you can also scour the $$ store or wait for sales all year!) These items are items that every household needs and will use over the year. I plan on making this type box for my brother this year - he's a bachelor, living alone in a small apt. He'll love it! I will put at least 10 to 12 of each item in the box so that the items will last all year. I'm sure he will think of me each time he needs soap, toothpaste, etc.

A Can, a Pot - a creative gift!

Take a clean, dry can from soup or canned vegetables. You can buy paint cans from Home Depot or Lowes as well.
Using craft acrylic paints and your imagination, paint the cans for the holidays.
This is a great project for kids too. Right now my family is working on painting jack-o-lanterns: simply paint a can orange, let it dry, repeat if needed, and then use black to make the face. Fill the can with candy, tissue paper, pencils, etc.
We're also working on snowmen and I plan on painting the top part black and putting paper around the black for the rim of Mr. Snowman's top hat. The larger cans could be filled with baked goods, fudge, etc. The smaller one's can be filled with candy and mints. I've seen some that are painted with a design then spatter-painted which looks quite neat. This is a nice way to recycle cans into something useful and fun. I'm thinking that candy canes will look nice for the holidays.
Another similar idea is to buy the smallest terra-cotta plant pots from the store, paint them, and put small votive candles in them. Silver and gold stars are nice for a holiday theme but you could do whatever suits your fancy. I'm sure you could use larger pots with pillar candles for a bigger centerpiece. Don't forget all the gorgeous ribbons available! Tie a few on!
You don't have to be a great artist to do these. A folk-art style is simple and looks great.

The Favorite Gift Basket...

I sell an e-book on this exact topic, but here are a few items to get you started:

I suggest buying straw baskets at a yard sale or flea market (sometimes Wal-mart, Gordmans and other places have them for pretty cheap too) and deciding on a theme for the particular person- whatever would be appropriate for that person. Fill the basket with either different fruits or other foods (i.e.-herbal teas, cookies, etc). You could make your own homemade cookies and include the recipe in the basket. Or, you could fill the basket with something other than food stuff. An example would be a framed picture of you and your friend who you're giving it to. Another idea is to give 'IOUs' for different services such as a car wash, child care service, a massage, a manicure,etc.

For more information, email me for the link to my e-book! It's only $4.00 and I accept paypal, and checks! Plus there's no shipping involved! Because it's an EBOOK! :)

Another candle? With a twist!

Once, I spotted a simple idea that had a hefty price tage - $12 - that I knew I could make at home cheaply and easily.
The item is a candle in an antique tea cup. Scour garage sales, flea markets, wherever, for cheap but interesting tea cups. Then melt down old candle ends or any type of wax you can find (parrafin can be costly) and - optional - add a little scented oil like lemongrass or grapefruit (or stick with the Christmas theme - cinnamon, vanilla, etc.). Put a wick in - really cheap by the yard from the craft store and - voila - for about $1 you have a nice gift with a little tag attached to the handle. You can even do this buy purchasing a whole set of white tea cups from anywhere (coffe mugs would work well too) and decorate them with paints yourself, decoupage, tie ribbons, WHATEVER! Be creative and have fun, but be sure you put your heart into it.

Cute Candles - Who doesn't love candles?

I got this idea from a kid's craft show I saw on PBS. In the end, you'll have a cool, personalized candle for not much $$ at all.

You'll Need:

+As many candles as you want to make: medium to large, WHITE candles (Try Wal-Mart ones, they're awesome)
+White school glue
+Glitter colors of your choice
+Paint Brush

-OR-

+As many candles as you want to make: medium to large, WHITE candles
+Elmer's 3D Shimmering Shapes Washable Art Glazes
+Elmer's 3D Sparkle Scents Washable Glitter Glue Pens
+Paint Brush
---------------------------------------
Spread glue over one section of the candle, sprinkle with glitter. Repeat until entire candle is covered. Let dry. To make this candle personalized, use the glue to write the recipient's name and sprinkle with another color glitter. Let dry and enjoy :)
I find that using the Elmer's art glazes and Glitter pens (both found at Wal-Mart in the school art section) work better. They simply have a light, fun tone to them. However the other way is definitely cheaper! Enjoy!

Organizing Kids Room

I really DO love to organize, but my kids rooms are a complete EXCEPTION! There is always a mess and rarely does it stay clean more than about 3 days on average. Why? It took me awhile to figure it out, but after reading several GREAT books, my favorite being Julie Morgenstern's "Organizing from the Inside Out", I figured out what it was.
The first step is to view the world as your child see's it. In their room, adult storage methods are NOT going to work! You also need to get your child involved in the process. By teaching them proper storage techniques, not only does it help keep the room clean, but it also prepares them for a life of more organized living! I assure you these techniques work, if you apply them properly and consistantly! (no shouting allowed!)
Begin with the simple "S" strategy! Sort, Store and Simplify.
Since a child's room is usually small, often shared, and just in general lacks built-in storage, you have to "modify" their world. A child just cannot stay organized if the closet is crammed full, and drawers are stuffed. And what about the toys and other play things all over the room. I know there's carpet in there somewhere!!
So what's the solution? The Simple S Strategy - Sort, Store and Simplify.
So where to begin? Easy! Start with the clothes first! Step 1 - Sort it. Create piles. Be objective! My favorite piles are "Keep, Store Elsewhere, Donate/Sell and Toss"
Keep - simply clothes that are in season and work frequently.
Store Elsewhere - clothes that are out of season but are still wearble (put them in boxes or containers and store in the basement or garage).
Donate/Sell - self explanatory but I will explain anyway - anything that is still in GREAT condition, might be off season, but won't fit the next year, etc. Blankets, Sheets and other bedding items that are no longer used can go in this pile! (keep in mind your child does NOT need 15 novelty t-shirts from every traveled location grandma and grandpa have been! - those go here too!)
Toss - This is anything that has holes, missing buttons you don't plan to ever repair, stains that won't come out, or any other defect. Just throw it away! Chances are you probably aren't using it!
Ok, so you've gotten this far - GREAT. Now, Place the KEEP clothes back into the drawers and closet. Place the STORE ELSEWHERE clothes - ELSEWHERE. LOL Place the DONATE clothes in the back seat of your car and the SELL clothes either in the back seat of your car if you plan to hit a consignment shop or if you are an ebayer - then place them near the computer and get on that as soon as humanely possible! Place the TOSS pile in your trash can! Now! Do it! Before you change your mind! This is a great activity to do the night before trash day. :)

Ok clothes are organized. Whew! What a task! What's next?

Toys. The most complicated feature ever! If you're lucky like me, most of your children's toys are kept in a separate room (for us the basement), however after umpteen years of apartment living and living in states that don't HAVE basements - there had to be alternatives.
So, organizing toys in a child's room has to be accessible to the child, practical and easy to use!
Many people purchase a toy box for storing items, and this can work, however keep in mind, finding the toys in a great big box can be hard for a young child. Also it is home to many the crumb and dirt & dust that collects in the bottom! Yuck! Perhaps consider only storing large, seldom used toys in a toybox. You might even move this box to an out of the way area and occasionally pluck a new toy from the box and give to your child to play with. It's a nice rotation method for all the toys that children are abundantly blessed with! LOL
You can also purchase very inexpensive storage for the closet, and this can be very easy to keep items. Purchase a hanging shoe box shelf (usually fabric or plastic). You can store clear plastic shoebox storage containers in them that can hold pieces to a game, legos, Fast Food Toys, etc. These storage containers make it easy to see the contents. So not everything should wind up everywhere when trying to locate something. (of course this still happens - they are children after all!)
Ok, containers - Use plastic shoebox containers for smaller toys (Barbie clothes & accessories, Fast Food Happy Meal toys, smaller game pieces, puzzles), larger lidded containers for legos, blocks, cars and trucks, and cardboard file boxes stack nicely on the closet floor for stuffed animals & artwork. Purchase an inexpensive bookshelf for older children to contain books, CD's, Video Games, Magazines, Comic Books, WHATEVER! For smaller children, use a dishpan to place books in. They can flip through the books, make their selection and replace the book in the front. Which brings me to a handy little trick.

I learned a terribly useful trick, from all my research in organization - Make it EASIER to put away and HARDER to get out. I promise, it works! Keep this is mind as you are organizing your child's room. Think about storage placement in regards to ease of putting it away. If it's easy to put away, a child is more apt to do it. Consider that you need to start from the bottom of the room and work your way up. Children are smaller than us adults, so storing on a closet shelf that they cannot reach, is really not practical at all! Because think of all the extra work when you hear "Mom I cannot reach my lego container way up on the shelf" - you then have to stop what you're doing and go retreive the out of reach item. So remember that rule. There is absolutely nothing wrong with storing items on the floor of a child's bedroom. If their closet it big enough, you can utilize the storage space there and keep it behind "closed doors" so to speak. I purchased some inexpensive stands to place in my daughter's closet - they have 3 drawers each and she can store items in these drawers. We separate items by placing boxes inside to organize (as drawer dividers). Which brings me to another important trick.
LABEL EVERYTHING. Yes, I understand a small child cannot READ. I was faced with that problem several years ago. It's actually an easy solution - first if you're a good artist - draw pictures of the items that go inside the containers or drawers. If not, there's another easy way - start cutting up those catalogs. Even if you have to request some catalogs from companies you don't shop with, do it - keep packaging from toys, etc. What do you do with all this stuff? Cut out photos of the items to be stored. They don't have to be specific, just be sure to show your child that the photo of the blocks you but out, might not look exactly like the one's picture, but they still are the same. Obviously for children at reading ages, you can label these containers with actual words! This really DID help with clean up!

The last tip I'll give you is a key! First, be sure you are following your OWN organizing methods; children learn by seeing other's - so if you make an effort to keep your own areas clean and organized, your child will often follow by example. But since this is not always the case, set aside some time. Maybe 15 minutes before bedtime. Have EVERYONE in the house, spend 10-15 minutes cleaning up and putting everything back in it's home. I know bedtime can be chaotic, but if you set this into your nightly routine, not only will your home remain organized but it will be an expected part of the day(and your kids might actually find cleaning up during the daytime as they play is MUCH better than doing it right before bed!) :)
Best of luck to you in your organizing endeavors!!

Don't confuse "getting organized" with "buying stuff"

You make think that getting organized is actually an expensive task. You may think that you have to go out and buy all those organizing holders, baskets, bins, and whatever else they tell you! Uh no! Don't confuse "getting organized" with "buying stuff". It's NOT the same thing!

After you have your household notebook, you can begin the decluttering process (which we will delve more into in Jan 2006). It's a process not a purchase :) Cute phrase huh? Yeah well it's true!

Look around you! See all that stuff? The clutter? The stack of clothes that needs buttons, or has a rip. The stck of artwork in the corner because your child cannot part with their little "gems". What about that pile of papers on the kitchen island - oh come on - you have it! And all those magazines! What are you going to do with all of them? I can guarantee you that a) you don't need most of it, and b) you can use some of it to actually get yourself organized! So let's begin with looking around us for mundane everyday "often tossable" objects that we can organize with.

Ok, the magazine/catalog problem. I'm starting here, because it seems most of us have this problem. Since you probably aren't prepared to get rid of them yet, let's begin with storage for these items. First, you can purchase fairly inexpensive cardboard magazine holders from just about any office supply store, I have even seen them at Wal-mart. HOWEVER, there is a cheaper way to organize them. Open your pantry. See all those boxes of cereal? Pick a few up, shake them! Is there even enough for another bowl of cereal? One thing you can do with that problem, is combine cereals with like tastes. Experiment a little, but we do this a lot and my kids actually love it. (I know, a little weird, but it works!) THEN after those boxes are empty - get rid of the bag and shake those boxes over the trash cans. Don't want any little cereal bits left to attract bugs - slightly defeats the process of a clean and organized home. LOL Then cut the boxes into a magazine holder! Put your magazines in the boxes. At least organize a little at this point - separate them by "Magazine Title", and place all catalogs in one. Once each box is full, don't allow yourself to put another magazine into it until you toss one out. (unless you're a scrapbooker like me - lol but that's a WHOLE different post!) Ok, so now we at least have that area of your life organized. One last tip on that, they should fit perfectly on any book shelf, but if there is no room on your book shelf, either make a shelf out of something else, or place on a top shelf of a closet - be sure to label the outside of the box so you know at a glance what's inside and don't have to pull out every box when you're looking for something. (I have two boxes in my kitchen with my cookbooks, about 5 up in my scrapbook studio, 1 next to my bed (containing catalogs and new magazines to read before bed - then they get placed in their respective homes after they are read or tossed if nothing worth keeping it for) and I have two on a shelf in my living room which contain the newest edition of catalogs I use regularly and a few magazines I reference often.) I did wind up buying a big basket to place some coffee table reads in and it slides under my coffee table. (I'll take a photo later). This works great.

Ok, next item:
Ice Cube Trays - WHAT?! If you need to organize smaller items in ANY room (examples: earrings, extra buttons, pins, craft supplies, etc), Ice cube trays or even some muffin tins are perfect for keeping everything sorted. You can put them right into your drawer (so they are out of sight) and they are stackable on shelves! The great part is - ice cube trays and even muffin pans are CHEAP - check out your dollar store or just go to Wal-mart - or anywhere else kitchen supplies are sold.

Boxes & Containers - First, consolidate any items that you can, out of already in use plastic containers, as these are the easiest, most flexible (and sturdy) to use - generally what I suggest. But for the frugal organizer, looking to accomplish this with little to no $$ forked out, here is another option. Use boxes, and containers that food used to reside in. Same with jars. Clean them out thoroughly and they are perfect for storage. I use empty butter and sour cream tubs for everything from leftovers, to craft supplies. Nails, screws, corn holders, you name it. If it's small it can fit. Boxes are always available. Just look around - oatmeal, pastas, kleenex - so you get the idea by now - use these! You can cover them with wrapping paper, or patterned paper purchased from Wal-mart or somewhere else equally as cheap. Fabric scraps work well too! They can hold anything depending on their size. And you can actually make them look cute by taking some time to embellish them (but that again is for another article!)

Film Canisters - Now these work best in a craft room or a "catch all drawer". Because of their size, they don't hold much, but they look uniform organized all together. You can even place them in a small box or basket to kind of corral them! You don't even need to decorate them, but be sure to either label the lid or glue one of whatever little treasure you've placed inside them, onto the lid. This makes knowing what's insdie easier. I've also seen people store them with the tops off, so they just glance inside! Nice and frugal and EASY!

Hmm... what else can work:
- Baby Food Jars
- Containers used for other items (ie. lego containers that no longer host the item, etc)
- Paint Buckets, and Regular Cleaning Pails
- Trash Cans - they can be decorated or painted on to make them "Blend" into the decor! (I have a photo of this I will upload soon!)
- Medicine Pill Bottles (be sure to clean these thoroughly and I recommend covering them with something so the prescription or title of item is no longer showing)
- Pringles can - these can store rulers, pens, skewers for kabobs, even cooking utensils. If you are storing cooking utensils, be sure to weight the bottom of the can with some beans or something to be sure it doesn't tip! (just paint or decorate the can and you can blend it with your decor nicely!)
- Pizza Boxes - ok these can be hard to use - First, often the pizza is stuck TO the box. However, if you do happen to come across a pizza box that is not completely covered in grease, cheese or sauce (it does happen!) line the bottom with something (I use wax paper) and you can store large craft projects, art projects and school work for each child. Just label the outside of the box with their name and the year and you can stack these on a shelf somewhere!
- Cardboard - cut shapes to fit the "project" and you can use these to wrap ribbons, wrapping paper scraps, christmas tree lights, extension cords, etc.

I have loads more ideas, but if I give them all away today - we won't have anything else for the rest of the week!!

Jars and Canisters - What to do with them?

For organizing small things, it can be a challenge.

Save your jars and film canisters - why? Because they can help you organize.

Clean out those jars, remove the labels, and you have the perfect storage containers for nails, screws, nuts, bolts, buttons, loose change, paper clips, elastic bands, and so much more! I'm a scrapbooker and use them to store eyelets, glitter, etc. And the best thing is, they're see through, which means you can easily identify everything inside at a glance!

Empty film canisters are perfect for storing pins, buttons, tacks and other small items. I use these too, and generally glue an eyelet or button to the top so I can easily identify what is inside. Sort your things into these small organizing wonders, press on the top and stick a blank label around the outside.Then, label each canister to identify the contents. Finally, store these canisters in a box to keep them all together.

Organize the RIGHT way...FRUGALLY!

I honestly will admit, one of my favorite past-times, or hobbies to some - is Organizing! There really isn't a right or wrong way to organize, simply because each person is unique and different in what works for them. For me, I am a clean person. I do not like dirt, smells or anything else! But I was a bit on the cluttery side. It took me awhile to figure out why. When I did, everything made more sense and I was able to organize much better. For me, the problem was lack of organizing TOOLS, SPACE and MONEY! So I learned how to organize FRUGALLY, by using what I have, scouring garage sales, etc. Earlier in the year we discussed the SPACE concept. So if you've been practicing that, then you already should be more organized than before. But now how to implement what you learned THEN, and organize your space more efficiently. After Christmas - the first week of January - we will begin a series on organizing AREAS of the home. These will all be frugal tips to organize your rooms, more efficiently. As I've "preached" before, time is money. When you can't find something, often it's replaced and later found. And think of all the things you could be doing instead of hunting for that missing object. For me, it's focusing on my children or working on my business (that one definitely = money for me!).

So today we begin a week of organizing on a budget. Let's see what tips we can find, and learn from!

Today's tip - Use baskets and cardboard boxes to store. Cover in fabrics, patterned papers, whatever. Then store what you need to inside. If you stick to the same colors, or the same sizes, these look very uniform and practical! Place on a shelf, or if there is a lid, stack them.

Fall Frugal Finality!

Our final day in fall decorating the FRUGAL way, is a HUGE list of ideas to use. Some may be repeats, but they might get your mind reeling! My only piece of advice (ok two pieces of advice) be CREATIVE and have FUN!


Simple and fun ideas
Salt dough
Whip up a batch of salt dough using one cup flour, one cup salt, 1/2 cup water (or enough to make a nonsticky dough) and cut into fall shapes, either free hand or using cookie cutters shaped like leaves, pumpkins, etc. Bake at 200 degrees for 30 minutes per side, more if item is thick or large. Paint and hang in windows, on a stick "tree-anchored" in more salt dough... the sky is the limit! Shape into fall figurines for knick knacks such Indians, Pilgrims, animals, etc.

Papier maché
Combine equal portions of flour and water and soak newspaper strips in the mixture. Drape over a form, such as a balloon or a bottle. Dry and add more layers, using a paste of flour and water as "glue," if necessary. You can make pumpkins, Halloween masks, you name it!

Tin can luminaires
Fill large, clean cans -- such as coffee cans -- with water and freeze. Place tape onto the can in a pattern you would like to punch. Then, using a nail and hammer, carefully punch holes evenly spaced along the tape. Dump out the ice, dry out and paint the can, if desired. To use, put sand on bottom of can, insert a candle and light. Arrange several on the ground, lining your walkway.

Tin can ghosts
Recyle and decorate! Step on a soda can to crush it, then spray paint it white, Add facial features and hang with string. I saw this done in Crafting Traditions and it was cute, not at all hokey. The secret was to use the top of the can as the "face" with the drinking hole as the mouth of the ghost. Keep the face simple and sweet. You can add paper arms or draw arms/hands on can.

Wreath ideas
Gather acorns, "helicopter" seed pods, and other interesting nuts and seeds. Hot glue your bounty onto a styrofoam or straw wreath. Accent with a fabric bow of fall colors (or one or those fall-leaf print fabrics). Tear the fabric for the bow to get a "primitive" country look.

Press fall leaves under heavy books or in a flower press. Try to get lots of different colors and shapes. Hot glue to a styrofaom wreath. (I saw this one in Martha Stewart's Great American Wreaths book. Lots of great ideas in there!) Pressed leaves can also be framed, used to decorate a homemade card, or to decorate a table.

Other ideas for your natural gatherings: Make acorn napkin rings (hot glue the acorns to tied fabric strips) and stick in a few leaves with the napkin. Or place a beautiful centerpiece on a bed on freshly fallen leaves.

The "Center" of Things...

Ceramic or Wooden Bowls lined w/ Pretty Cloth or Napkins & filled with fruit or gourds

Hot Glue Acorns & Cinnamon Sticks to a pretty jar or glass and place a votive candle inside

Place a row of apples in the center, carve out just enough to place a green tea-light candle and set it down into the apple. Makes a beautiful addition to the table

Place a small wicker basket in the center on a pretty placemat, add pinecones & a couple oranges & apples

Pint Size Mason Jars: fill the bottom with cracked corn and place a (colored) candle in the middle

Place a small decorative plate in the center of your table, add several candles of varying sizes & then cover the bottom of the plate with Candy Corn. The candy will glisten when the candles burn.

Add scent to the home. Simmer apple peels and cinnamon sticks on the stove, or invest in a couple of vials of potpourri oil. They are relatively inexpensive at just a couple bucks apiece, and they last forever as you only need a few drops.

Mr. Scarecrow rings the bell!

Run to the $ store. Look for any fall decorations that catch your eye. You might also want to run to MJDesigns and see what they have. And if you were smart like me, you bought anything you could find LAST year at 50-75% off! I even bought some really crappy looking things so I could pull pieces of them off. I figure some stuff I got for only .50 so it was worth it. Once you have your collection of autum themed misc. "stuff", try getting out the hot glue gun and affixing your items to candles. Small glass jars make great votive holders when dressed up with a few pressed leaves and acorns. Fill a bowl or plate with goodies around large pillar candles and use as a centerpiece. If you can't find enough natural material near your home, check out the bulk grain section at your supermarket.
Fall is about harvest, so any grain can be used to add that element to your home. Even cracked corn meant for the bird feeder can look great in a jar as a base for a candle.
Lastly, don't forget the front porch when adding the element of fall!
Ask a local farmer or produce stand owner if you can get some corn stalks, and display them on your porch with a homemade scarecrow. Often you can get hay bales for cheap too!
How to Make a Scarecrow
Use old clothing, or an old pillowcase for the face, stuff most of the body with newspaper or stuffing, then add a little raffia or straw at the sleeve and neck cuffs.
Draw on the face with permanent makers or craft paint. Use one of dad's old "plaid" shirts or run to goodwill or even wal-mart had one last year for $7.00. You can use ANY type of jeans - so look for a pair dad might not wear anymore, or even a pair that son has tons of holes in and are on their way "out". You can then hot glue patches of fabric over the holes like a TRUE scarecrow. These are the "body" you will stuff.
Have fun! Take photos with the kids and the scarecrow! But most of all, build memories!!

Use what you have!

I know I preach that over and over - but often times, it's the best, most frugal WAY to decorate! So dig through your storage area, and look to see what you have.

Add a decorative touch to your already existing décor with a splash of color. This time of year, go with burnt oranges, greens, reds, and other rich hues. Look for inexpensive seasonal candles, artificial gourds and fruit, and silk garland or flowers. Then use them to decorate two or three focal pieces in your house like a decorative vase, glass bowl, or seasonal items like these ceramic pumpkins. They'll look fabulous on a buffet, dining table, or bookcase and cost next to nothing.

Another inexpensive trick to dress up a window is to make two handmade bows and use them as tie- backs for your curtains or sheers. Be sure to add a ribbon runner along the valance or curtain rod for a complete look. This simple change will dress up any room.

An Elegant Pumpkin!

After cleaning out the interior of a pumpkin, you can use drill bits of different sizes to make dots and circles, arranging them in festive designs all over the pumpkins (abstract patterns, bunches of grapes, faces, etc.).Consider using carved pumpkins or gourds as autumn centerpieces on your holiday table. Add candles and the beauty is apparent! :)

You can also glue leaves to the top of the pumpkin. Michael's sells "foamy" pumpkins you can carve and use YEAR after YEAR. I recommend getting two to start out with, and then you can add one a year. Saves money and eventually you'll have them everywhere. (Might also wait until one of those great 50% off coupons!) Then you could buy one and get one half off. :)

Have a SAFE Halloween - and new topic!

Ok, I wish all of you a safe halloween. Stay warm, (or cool if you're in a hot state!) We have rain today, so it's not looking real great for us tonight. We shall see.

Our new topic - Thanksgiving/Autumn decorations. Frugality is a must! I am so THANKFUL that our Halloween topic is finally over. That is not one of my favorite holidays as I've mentioned before! LOL

So onward, looking towards the beautiful fall decorations.

Here's your first idea: Gather up some strings of your white christmas lights. String them around your front porch (or even indoors somewhere), interspersed with autumn leaves (cheap at the $$ store or michaels), pumpkins, gourds and other autumn decorations.
Rather than using candles to light your carved pumpkin, thread white Christmas lights into holes carved or drilled into theback of the pumpkin.

Be Safe!! or BOX it up!

Be safe tomorrow night! Keep those children in sight at all times, and look up safety tips (remember your flashlight!)
Ok here are some cute halloween costumes using BOXES!! (someone actually emailed this list to me so I have no idea where it's from!)

Pokemon card
Last year I made my 6 year old into his favorite POKEMON card. I used a box and made his head BLASTOISE'S head. My computer scanner, felt ,my computer's publisher and a little creativity made him the hit of the party!

Paint it silver, glue on a few extras a presto.. a robot.

Paint it red, tack on some paper plate wheels, and you are a race car.

Paint it white and a handle and you will be a cool refrigerator.

Paint it light tan, tack a small flat box. Draw on a keyboard, you will be the first walking Macintosh. (may work with Windows ;-) )

Wrap it in Christmas paper, add a large bow.. wow a Christmas present.

Paint it bright colors, and a crank. You can pop into the local Halloween party as a Jack-in-the-box

Cover with table cloth, glue on silver plastic platter in the middle (cut hole for head to pop through. Glue on a couple of place settings of Plastic dishes, and glasses. Now your head in on a silver platter.


Thomas the Engine & Friends
Get a small box big enough to fit around your childs waist. Paint box
blue (for Thomas), or green (for Percy) etc. With colored construction paper add stripes and train number to sides, also add black train wheels. On front make a 3D face with construction paper to match your train of choice. Attach a belt from a robe to each side and harness over shoulders. Dress child up with a conductors hat.

Rubics cube
Using a large card board box and five different colors of contact paper or construction paper (contact paper is easier to stick on) enough to do 5 sides, black pants and long sleeve shirt. this was done very inexpensively and we had a lot of fun with it.

Dice
Grab a friend and take 2 cardboard boxes, paint them white. Cut out several black circles (From construction paper) and glue them in the appropriate places to make you and your friend a pair of dice! It's so easy,
OR
Have the second person dress as a key ring and use a light weight chain to attach the two people. To make the key ring cut several large keys out of poster board, attach one to the back and another to the front. Attach a medal ring to a hat, then attach a few more keys to the ring.

Lego Block
Take a medium sized box (apple/orange boxes were a good size) cut two round holes in the sides for the arms. Hot glue 6 cottage cheese containers on the top of the box (the flat part) like a Lego piece. Spray paint the whole thing whatever color lego you want to be. (We chose our colors based on what color sweats and turtle necks we had on hand) Take a smaller box that will fit on top of their head snugly and hot glue one cottage cheese container and spray paint it the same color. Just slip into the open part of the back of the box and stick your arms through the holes.

Dresser!
Walmart or Kmart sells cardboard dressers in the laundry department. Cut out holes for arms on the sides and hole on top
for head. I put foam in the inside for the shoulders to hold it up. I painted the dresser and wrote on each drawer underwear, socks, ect. Hot glue a doily to top with hairbrush and hair accessories. Hang underwear, socks, shirt, and pants out of drawers. Put a small lamp shade on child's head so neck and face are base of lamp. From: anonymous (by way if you don't want to spend the $$ for a cardboard dresser, it wouldn't take much to make one out of a box. Attaching long flat boxes on the front and hot glue small balls on the front for pulls.

Sweats and Tights!

So far the favorite costumes are anything having to do with sweats or tights. Do you think it has something to do with the fact that sweats are so cheap at Wal-mart?!? LOL Well, here are some just for you guys who love those costumes!

SKUNK: Black sweats with white strip down the back. You can make a bushy tail by using a feather boa from a craft store, and paint the feather's down the middle white. You can even use wire to curve the tail upwards.

BUNNY2: Pink, brown, or white sweats, add a powder puff or large pom-pom to the backside, and a set of ears make from construction paper and a plastic headband. Now just hop on out and enjoy.

TURTLE2: Green sweats with a piece of poster board attached to the back. Simply cut the poster board into a large oval, make random marks like a turtle shell, and paint.

PUPPY: Brown, tan or white sweats, either paint, or pin paper spots on. Make floppy ears and bobby pin to hair over your ears (you can also glue these to a headband). The tail can be most anything, depending on what type of doggie you wish to be. Add a little make-up.

KITTEN: Gold, brown, tan, white sweats. Make ears from construction paper, attach to head band or bobby pin in to hair. Sew a simple round tail, and pin on. (cat ears and tails are usually sold at Wal-mart separately at halloween and are around $5 for a set)

SPIDER: Black sweats, For the legs grab some cheap black panty hose, stuff with any thing dark and light weight. Either sew, or staple to keep stuffing from falling out. Pin to clothing, add a little make-up.

LADY BUG: Use a pair of black sweats and black sweat shirt (and a pair of black shoes). Use a large piece of poster board or cardboard and cut out a large oval. Paint it red with black dots. Staple black elastic pieces (in a loop) onto the board to make arm holes. For the antenna attach craft pipe cleaners with black pom poms on the ends to a headband.

SNOWMAN: white sweats, christmas socks, white keds tennis shoes, a cheap black hat, fake snow, mittens, scarf and black pom poms for the coal! Spray the hat to look like snow and added a cheap red bird from the craft store. Using makeup, make their nose orange. Glue the pompoms on the sweatshirt for buttons. Cheap, simple and quite was adorable.

CEREAL KILLER: Attach little cereal boxes to a shirt, cut a slit in the boxes, glue in plastic knives into the holes, drip red paint running down from the knife hole in the box.

BUNCH OF GRAPES: Using green or purple sweats, attach balloons of the same color with safety pins. Paint face and hands same color.


BAG OF JELLY BEANS: Lots of different colored balloons, large clear plastic bag, colorful ribbon, 2 safety pins, 2 pieces of white cardboard. Blow up all the balloons. Cut two leg holes in the bottom of the bag and two arm holes near the middle. Have your child stand in the bag and fill with blown up balloons. Write on each piece of cardboard "JELLY BEANS 2 CENTS EACH". Safety pins signs to front and back of bag. LOOSELY tie around shoulders with a colorful ribbon. Cut off excess bag around face.

BLACK EYE PEA: White sweats, with black tennis shoes, Cut out the letter 'P' from black construction paper and pin the P's all over the white sweats. Paint a black spot over one eye ("black eye" ... get it? :) hee hee) and you have a "black-eyed 'P' "

BUTTERFLY: Put on black sweats and black shoes. Use a piece of poster board and paint wanted color cut them out in an appropriate wing shape. Punch two holes toward the edges of the wings. Put black ribbon through them and tie around waist. Attach pipe cleaners and pompoms to a plastic head band.

BLOOMING IDIOT: Get a green body suit and some green tights and on your head wear a beanie hat. Glue fake flowers to the beanie hat and maybe pin a few on your body suit. Also it's fun if you paint some flowers on your face and arms. I found some cheap, fake Ivy and wrapped it around my neck and arms and presto! Your a
blooming idiot!

PRAIRIEDOG:
Items needed: Light and dark pink felt , an old hooded pink sweatcoat, pink gloves, pink slacks, pink slippers.
Cut out light pink felt into what looks like prairiedog ears. Place the dark pink felt inside in in the same shape except smaller. Glue onto the sides of the hood on the sweatcoat. With the remaining felt,cut out a piece of "headfur". From the light pink felt. Put on and paint your face pink with a black nose. From: Patricia

BASKET OF LAUNDRY: (clean or dirty!) Wear sweat pants and sweatshirt if it is cold. Tights and a turtleneck if you will be in a warm building. Take an inexpensive (thin) plastic laundry basket and cut a hole in the bottom that you can fit through. Make it small enough so that is "sits" on your hips after you pull it over your head. Fill basket with laundry and pin a few dryer softener sheets to your sweatshirt.

BUBBLE BATH: Take a white laundry basket and cut out the bottom, be sure to tape the cut edges with masking tape. Attach two wide strips of material (white) to front and back of basket (these are the shoulder straps). Attach white, light peach, and pearl balloons to the staps using safety pins (these are bubbles) Wear a white bodysuit, and white pantyhose. Put on your houseshoes, shower cap, and grab your scrub brush. (If the laundry basket has holes in it, cover the inside with posterboard)

Some more spooky things to be!

QUASIMODO (THE HUNCHBACK OF NOTRE DAME): Build the "hunchback" out of foam or cardboard. Find an old coat several sizes too large to accomodate this. Old, ratty clothes are great! Wear a snaggly wig and keep putting hand up to ear and muttering "eh?".

PIRATE: Form a fake wooden leg by wrapping your bad one in brown felt. Wear sailor pants or jeans with a striped top. Tie a bandana around your head, wear an eye patch, carry an empty bottle marked XXX (for the "rum") and mutter "aargh" a lot. Ask for "Trick or treat, matey!"

CRASH TEST DUMMY - AFTER!: There is a commercial costume for this, but a good one can be made with sweats and tape to make the markings on it like the crash test dummies. Use bandages and fake blood to decorate. Fashion a seat belt out of webbing and an old buckle and pin in place. (or go to a junk yard as ask for an old seatbelt).

TRAIN ENGINEER: A pair of blue jeans, a blue Jean jacket, a red and black bandana. a blue and white engineer hat, a whistle, and play lantern. In addition you can wear denim coveralls instead - it actually works better!

MOTHER NATURE: Silk flowers and silk plant leaves in a variety of shapes and colours, an old skirt and vest, a face mask, twigs (collected from your nearby park or in your own backyard) to make a nest, a foam bird that you can find at any craft store, glue gun and wire. Decorate the vest & skirt with the silk leaves in a random pattern and glue into place. Decorate the skirt with flowers growing out from the leaves already put in place.Use the remaining leaves and small flowers to decorate the face mask. Gather your twigs and secure with wire to make a nest. Place your bird on the twigs and secure into place with the wire. You can add some leaves and peat moss as a filler. The child can wear a dark coloured turtleneck and leggings under the vest and skirt for the evening walk to get treats.

Wow! I didn't realize there were so many!

I had no idea I really had THIS many costume ideas! LOL Here are some more!

OLD WOMAN: Old style dress, just below knee, knee-hi stockings rolled down a little, oxfords, large black purse.

NERD: Slick back the hair, grab some paints that are too short, white shirt, white socks, penny loafers, or lace up oxfords, pocket protector, with lots of pens, dark rim glasses (don't forget to tape the corner, or at least paper clip it) briefcase, or backpack for treat bag.

CHINESE DOLL: Face painted white, add red rosy cheeeks all shaped in a circle, Hair in buns, thoung slippers, and a kimono(chinese dress).

MISS AMERICA: Use an old bridesmaid dress or formal, add a pair of gloves, a tiara, some oversized jewelry, and heals. For the banner, a piece of wide ribbon, and write "Miss America" in glitter.

SODA CAN: Use a round barrel, cut a hole in the bottom. You cut holes for arms and your head. Paint it the colors of a soda can. Presto! You have a soda can!!!

STATIC CLING: Wear anything. A solid color is good, maybe all white or all black. With safety pins pin anything to yourself (i.e socks, underwear, bounce sheets, etc. You can also spray your hair straight up in the air.

1950's SOCK-HOPPER: A round skirt, a white short-sleeved shirt, and some saddle shoes. (If you don't have saddle shoes, plain buckle shoes are fine.) You could add some cat-eye glasses if you want. Tie their hair in a ponytail, and wrap a scarf around it.

MUMMY: Wrap yourself in white bandages (rolls of gauze) (toilet paper works well too and is REALLY cheap!!) Use splotches of green paint for "mold". Use white make-up on face with "age lines" drawn on. The stiff-legged gait works perfectly.

Knock, Knock - It's UPS

I read about someone dressing her children in her husband's UPS uniforms from work. The parents were the packages wearing big boxes with "handle with care" and "fragile" stickers. They were the hit of the neighborhood! So, if you want to mimic this idea - you could put your child in a cubscout uniform shirt (without all the patches - check at goodwill, etc). a pair of brown shorts (or pants would be better). You could probably even get away with Khaki colored pants and a khaki shirt. Just be sure to put a UPS emblem on it. There are loads of creative ways to "mimic" everyday people in our community and make it fun!

a few more ideas:

Clown: Sweet clothes that are too large. Decorate by using either fabric paint, or markers. For those who dare try tie-die. Tack on some large pop-poms, add a cheap wig, hat, and make-up. You may also stuff the extra space in clothing with tissue. However this could be messy, if you need to make a "pit-stop".

Scarecrow: Over sized flannel shirt, faded blue jeans with patches, rope for belt and to tie at the cuffs of his jeans and sleeves, stuff the shirt and jeans with plastic grocery, or paper, a little bit of straw to hang out of jeans and shirt. Add a little bit of make-up.

The American tourist: Guys loud Hawaii shirt, shorts (if weather permits), Large straw hat. Gals bright loud dress, flats, big sun hat, straw bag. Don't forget to have a camera, and maps hanging out, and that look of being lost. Guys can use a tourist bag, (like you get from travel agents, and gals can use the straw bag for their treats.

1960s Hippy: This one is hard, after all its all back in style! What is real, and what is costume? ;-) Tie die clothing, long wig (in the old days we called a "fall", sandals, headband, anything with fringe on it (vests, purse...) light colored sun glasses.

Old man: Dark paints (cuffed), and jacket, most any dress shirt, mans flannel hat, walking cane. Gray the hair, with any of the commercial temporary colors, or dust with a little flour.

Hmm...more ideas?

NINJA: Black turtleneck (best) or long sleeved shirt, and black pants (sweatpants look best) and 2 strips of bright (neon) fabric. Use one strip for a belt and one for a headband. Black stretch gloves (about $1 at WalMart or Target) make a nice addition if you're in a cold climate. You can make ninja knives from cardboard.

STORMTROOPER: White sweats with black turtleneck underneath, white or
black stretch gloves, and white shoes. Make the helmet from a plastic milk jug. The handle of the jug would be the back and the bottom of the jug is the top of the helmet. Cut around and over the handle so the back is all open. Cut out the nozzle, so now you should have a jug with just the bottom and 2 sides. Put that upside down on your kid's head and mark where to cut out eye holes. Make sure the holes are large enough for your child to see out of easily, and you may need to make it all open almost like a motorcycle helmet for your kid's nose (helps to look at a stormtro0per to get the shape right). Paint the mask white with Odds-n-Ends paint, and for the black parts(except eyes) glue gun construction paper, felt, fabric, or use paint. If you want to make the belt cover small boxes (juice boxes work) or cut pieces of styrofoam then attach to strip of white muslin to tie around waist, tucking ends in. If you want eye area black like real stormtroupers use makeup.

DARTH VADER: use black sweats, paint the stormtrouper mask black, and add a black cape. Light Sabre can be made from wrapping paper tube. (there is a cheap one available at Wal-mart AND Target for about $5 too!)

PETER PAN & ROBIN HOOD: These two costumes use the same pieces almost, so a child can be Peter Pan one year and Robin Hood the next, and all you need to change is the smock. For Peter Pan get green fabric, fold in half, cut a hole for the head and cut the bottom jagged. Tie on with a belt made from a strip of fabric. I'd also add a pair of shorts to your list of costume pieces. In cold climates use green sweats instead of tights and forgo the shorts.

KNIGHT: Silver lame for smock, (Fold it in half and cut out head hole just like for Peter Pan and Robin Hood) white, grey, or black turtleneck and tights with shorts or sweatpants. Make a shield and sword from cardboard covered with foil. For more details you can embellish these with puffy paint or glue on plastic jewels. You can also cut out a coat of arms from felt and glue or sew to smock. Another addition is using a hooded sweatshirt or sewing a hood from the silver lame(about $3 a yd at WalMart)

DRAGON: Recycle the green shirt, tights, pants, shorts, etc from Robin
Hood or Peter Pan then add purple wings made from felt (can safety pin or baste on). Sew a tie-on green tail with a row of pointy scales made from felt, and glue some felt spots on it. Make a hood with more pointy scales up the middle, use a green stocking cap, add small horns to a headband, or just paint your child's face green with purple spots and skip the headwear. If you want your dragon to "breath fire" tape streamers to a dowel.

A FLOWER: (better for baby) Buy a sleeper or sweatsuit, add a flower. Glue silk flowers to a bonnet (or a stocking cap, but make sure the cap is stretched over a ball of newspaper approx the size of baby's head so there are enough flowers) and to a pair of socks that baby is growing out of so you don't ruin a good pair. For cheap flowers compare candle rings to the other silk flower bunches. You can always add the leaves in as filler if needed.

BAG OF GUMBALLS: Wear all one color of clothes, long sleeve shirt and leggings. Take a large clear garbage bag and cut two slits at the bottom of it for her legs, just big enough for your legs to go through without cutting off the circulation. Then blow up a whole bunch of different colored balloons. Stepping into the bag, fill it with the balloons, and had someone help you put armholes in. Then bunch the top of the bag around your neck and made it stay with some clear strapping tape (not too tight - that's why the strapping tape is nice - it holds the bunching in place, so you don't have to strangle yourself trying to keep the top of the bag bunched closed.) And then loosely tie a length of braided yarn around the strapping tape. Add a red beret, and tie a large price tag cut out of stiff paper to the little sticky-outy bit in the middle of the beret.

Last minute - what will they wear?!

Ok, to wrap up this crazy week before Halloween, we're going to focus on costume frugality. I will give several costume ideas a day. If you don't like them, don't blame me. I collected them from all over and some of the magazines are ancient! LOL That's why I'm giving you a few to pick from each day. I figure by the end of all this you'll have so many frugal costume ideas, you won't know WHAT to do with them all!! And hey - it wasn't me who waited until the last minute to get costumes this year (ok so it was!) LOL

BUNNY: White sleeper or white sweats, attach a pompom to the seat. Make ears out of white cardboard or felt and you have a bunny. Use other colors and ears for a bear, cat, etc.

BUMBLEBEE: Yellow pjs or yellow sweats and antennas made from pipe cleaners make a bumblebee. Add stripes with black felt or paint.

LADYBUG: red pjs or sweats, make antennas with pipe cleaners and styrofoam balls. Paint the balls black. Add spots with black felt, paint or permanent marker.

PIRATE: For this one you need a big white shirt (one of Mom's or Dad's will work nicely), dark pants, boots, a bandanna, a wide belt and a little felt and cardboard for accessories. Put on the clothes with the belt around the outside of the shirt and poof out the shirt above the belt. Tie the bandanna around the child's head. You can add some gold chain jewelry and a hoop earring if you have cheap one that you're not worried about losing. Make an eyepatch out of a piece of black felt and elastic. Make a sword from cardboard and cover "blade" with aluminum foil.

ANGEL OR FAIRY: White nightgown or dress (pastel colors are good for fairy), posterboard for wings, metallic pipecleaners for halo, antennae, wand. Decorate wings with glitter if you like and attach with safety pins or tie on with scarves or wide ribbon.

BUTTERFLY: Black leotard and tights or leggings and turtleneck, pipecleaners for antennae, posterboard for wings. Decorate wings in bright colors.

CRAYON: Make a tube out of posterboard or felt that fits around the child. Cut holes for arms. Make a pointed hat out of the same color. Decorate tube with markers or additional felt to look like a crayon. Dress child in a black leotard or leggings and turtleneck. Put on tube (it's easier if you put some velcro on the back) and hat...voila! Instant crayon!

KING OR QUEEN: Bathrobe in a "royal" color (purple, burgundy, midnight blue, emerald green)...velour is nice if you have it. Posterboard and shiny gold paper for crown. Old jewelry.


BUNCH OF GRAPES: Green leotard or leggings and turtleneck. Lots of round purple balloons. Dress child in leotard. Blow up purple balloons and attach to child.

GYPSY: Big, full skirt. Lot's of jewelry. Bandanna to tie around head.

ROBIN HOOD: Green tights, long brown vest, wide leather belt. Make an appropriate hat out of green felt and carry a toy bow and arrow or make one from cardboard.

TURTLE: Start with a green or brown sweat suit. From lighter green or brown fabric, cut a large circle and sew (or glue) to the front of the sweat shirt. To make the shell, locate a plastic mixing bowl and small flat pillow or piece of foam. Place the bowl on the foam and cover in fabric. The pillow should extend slightly from the base of the bowl. Decorate accordingly with fabric remnants, fabric paint or pens. Attach straps so that the child can wear the shell as she would a backpack. It's very cute when assembled. Additionally, you may want to locate a mixing bowl that fits as a hat and cover in coordinating fabric.

STATUE OF LIBERTY: A toga can be quickly assembled from fabric or sheets. The crown and torch can be fashioned from tin foil.

Some final thoughts on frugal decorations...

Ok I threw in a couple because I don't plan to have this topic again until NEXT year! So here are some extras.

Sidewalk path candle lights.
Instead of buying premade paper bag candle holders or fancy candle holders, make them yourself from cans. Clean several cans of various sizes. Put water in them and set them in the freezer. Remember the ice will expand, so don't fill them too high. Remove them when frozen and with a chisil, cut out eyes, pumpkin faces, whatever. Remove the ice and let dry. Spray paint the base coat, say orange, for a pumpkin. Paint whatever else you want, add sand or dirt and a votive candle. We experimented with a narrow and small can. The votive candle did not melt the paint. One can we did was an "eye" can. We spray painted the can green. Took a nail and punched several holes all over and painted eyes on the holes. At night it looks like eyes are glowing.

FRANKESTEIN MILK JUG:
Spray paint the jug green and then spray paint the bottom of the jug, black. When dry, flip the jug over and with the spout facing down, paint on a face. Use the photo as a reference. Screw in 2 large bolts into the jug, just below the face. Attach a chain to the top and a black rag over the spout. Tie with black thread.

HALLOWEEN WREATH:
Make a circular wreath from sticks and old plyable branches, or buy one ready made. I got mine at MJD Designs craft store for only $2.50. I also saw one at Walmart for $2.00.Attach some old plastic flowers to the wreath too. Spray paint the entire thing black, then LIGHTLY spray over it with white spray paint. This gives the effect of looking old.Now add a red ribbon or bow, and plastic skull, pumpkins, bats, spiders...whatever you want.

POTS, POTS, and MORE POTS
Simple decorations made from clay pots used for plants. You can use these to hold candy. Easy to make. You can make a frankenstein pot. Just paint the face and add fun eyes that can be glued right to the pot. This one is easy, cute and cheap. You can turn the pot upside down and make some ghosts - paint white and then use a black permanent marker to make eye "holes". A pumpkin - keep upside right, paint orange and decorate with face. You can add a green ribbon around the top. (put candles in theses). These tend to be more cute, than spooky! A black cat - paint black, turn upside down add triangle ears of felt at the top (just glue on either side.) Yellow felt eyes (any shape you want from spooky triangles to cute circles). Take a bunch of black pipe cleaners and twist them all together for a tail - secure with hot glue. You can use grey felt for the upside down triangle mouth. Use white piple cleaners or construction paper for wiskers. Have fun! There are lots of other cute things you can make - turn the pot into a cauldron, if you're talented, paint a which face on them, goblins, wrap in white cloth - a mummy. And on and on!

Enjoy and have a FESTIVE Halloween!!