We used inexpensive sparkly felt and jute cording for our two trees designs, but you can also use fancy metallic cording for a dressier look, or dress up felt-covered trees in cording, braid or other embellishments to match your holiday decorating style.

Please let us know what you think or share a great idea of your own!

Make this Thanksgiving wreath with silk leaves and a little glue

Fall seems to be a time of decorating quick-change. Within 60 days, we move from spooky Halloween décor, to russet-hued fall colors, to Christmas sparkle and shine.

Add to that holiday entertaining, parties, shopping and kid’s school needs, and the holiday season becomes busy indeed!

That’s why I look for easy and quick decorating options, especially around Thanksgiving. Here are five quick projects that add fall-inspired pop to any room in just a few minutes. Better yet, since most craft stores have fall florals on sale by now, these colorful fall accents cost just a few dollars to make.

1. Make a Leafy Fall Colors Wreath
Make this eye-catching fall and Thanksgiving wreath with just a few handfuls of russet silk leaves, a plain foam or natural wreath form and some hot glue. It takes less than an hour because all of the color and texture is created by simply layering silk leaves one over the other. Then top with a russet or golden hued bow. Click here for complete how-to instructions for this wreath.

2. Make a Falling Leaves Garland
You’ll need 5-10 fall leaves floral picks. Use wire cutters to cut the leaf clusters off the main pick, leaving the stems as long as possible. Then just twist the stems together, start with 2-3 stems and add on to create a length of garland. You can also twist stems onto a length of jute rope or cording for a stronger garland.  Fill in sparse areas by twisting on more leaves, or hot glue leaves, floral berries or pinecones to the twisted garland stem. Hang from a stairway or doorframe using fall-colored bows or drape over the mantle.

3. Use a Fall Garland as a Table Centerpiece
Make a garland as above to fit your tabletop. Leave about 1.5’ from each end to allow for place settings if needed. Arrange with candlesticks or pillar stands of varying sizes to add height to your centerpiece. Add even more color by placing the garland arrangement on top of a coordinating tablerunner or a line of overlapping placemats. (Make your centerpiece safe and worry-free! Use battery-operated candles to avoid an open flame.)

4. Embellish Candlesticks and Other Décor Items
Use leafy clusters to add fall color anywhere. Cut several leaf stems and clusters from picks and wrap around candlesticks, place in vases or tuck among your everyday arrangements to add a pop of color.

Add a pop of Thanksgiving color with a few silk leaves in fall colors

5. Create a Falling Leaves Light Fixture
Use our go-to favorites, leafy stems and clusters, to add fall color to your dining and entry lighting. Simply wrap or drape clusters among the arms of your light fixture or wrap a mini garland to entwine your chandelier.

Let us know if any of these ideas inspired you! And please share any ideas (or improvements on ours) that you have!

1. Start with Kid-friendly, Flame-free Candles and Votives:

Have any orange or black placemats on-hand? How about colorful drinking glasses — maybe in white, frost, orange, smoky gray, green or purple? Any white candle pillars stashed in a drawer? These everyday things can do double-duty as Halloween decor! For example:

• MYO-Votives: Add some construction paper bits to colorful drinking glasses, pop a flame-free candle in the glass and, Presto! Instant Halloween votive candles that kids can easily help make. We used Bentley 11-oz plastic tumblers  in Smoke and Tangerine, construction paper and double-sided gift tape. 
  

  Plastic glasses do double-duty as Halloween votive candles

• Create a Ghostly Glow: Don’t spend your money on fancy Halloween candles that you’ll just have to store in a few weeks! Grab simple white or orange pillar candles (of course, battery operated candles are best) and attach paper or fun foam bits to make Jack-o-Lantern faces or Ghosts. (If you use real candles, place embellishments well below the burn region and keep an eye on them when burning).

Arrange several candles, homemade votives or a combination of these across the mantle for a Halloween spookscape, or place a few on orange or black placemats for a flickering centerpiece.

3. For a Spideriffic Centerpiece, Start in the Backyard:

What could be spookier (or cheaper) than a cluster or spindly branches hung with paper or pipe cleaner spiders? For this simple project, you just need some branches, an empty soup or coffee can, floral foam or dried beans* to hold the branches in place, some pipe cleaners or construction paper, and glue. If you want to get fancy, spray paint the branches and can before assembling. (*If decorating around toddlers, use foam instead of dried beans – if spilled, beans could be a choking hazard)

Battery operated candles offer a spooky and kid-safe glow

4. Safe — and Spooky – Trick-or-Treating Lights:

Add a little extra creepy to your little ghouls’ and booys’ costumes this year. Instead of flashlights, give them a battery-operated pillar candle to hold. These cast a spooky flickering glow without a flame — perfect if you have a little witch or wizard who really gets into character!

Let us know about your kid-safe, budget-friendly Halloween ideas!

Here are a few tips for setting a kid-friendly table that keeps kids put, and content, so you can enjoy your meal. 

Start with Kid-Friendly Tableware
The last thing anyone wants to do during a festive meal is clean up broken glasses or dishes, so choose kid’s dinnerware wisely. Plastic or disposable dinnerware  is (or should be) acceptable for kids even in formal settings. Another dinnerware option is Bambu disposable dinnerware, made of, you guessed it, bamboo. They even have sporks! Bambu is the year’s hottest earth-friendly dinnerware item. Or consider using durable plastic dinnerware. Melamine dinnerware styles offer the look of better ceramics, while acrylic glasses add a festive touch, without the worry.

Pictured: Venetian Melamine Dinnerware and Pearlessence Acrylic Glasses

Capture Their Attention with the Unexpected
Make kids feel special at the kid’s table with a creative placecard.  Here we’ve used mini pumpkins, which they can continue to decorate after the meal. Small toys or stuffed animals with kid’s names or holding little name cards are good options too.

Take a Tip from Busy Restaurants
Cover the kid’s table with kraft or butcher paper and let kids draw or decorate with crayons, markers, stamps and stickers before and after the meal. Or buy some holiday-themed coloring books and assemble your own restaurant-style coloring placemats, complete with a small bundle of crayons for each child.

Turn the Kid’s Table into the Craft Corner
If kids are old enough to use markers and glue sticks, holiday-themed projects such as Indian headbands, turkeys, wreaths, or woven paper placemats can keep them happily occupied while you enjoy your meal. You can find precut ornament kits at any craft store, too. Or just provide construction paper, craft foam or felt o kids can make their own creations

Happy Thanksgiving.. and if you have any great kid-corralin’ ideas of your own, please share!

Here are a few safer decorating tips for adding some creepy crawly fun to homes… even those with small, busy kids. Plus budget-friendly Halloween decor ideas using everyday items – like plastic glasses for Halloween votive candle holders; branches and a coffee can for a creepy spider centerpiece; and repurposing everyday placemats for inexpensive Halloween table runners… and more.

Decorate a Safe, Festive Christmas Tree
As the centerpiece of the holiday home, Christmas tree safety is a primary concern. The tree should be set in a stable stand and can be further secured by tying twine or fishing line from the upper trunk to a hook on the closest wall. Tree needles can be a choking hazard for small children, so check a live tree closely for shedding needles, try to keep the floor clear of dropped needles, and remember to keep the tree well watered to retain freshness.

Traditional Christmas tree decorations can pose child safety risks, but parents have several safer decorating options. If using lights, wrap strands close to the trunk, well away from little hands. Pre-lit artificial trees usually have well-secured lights, so these are a safer choice if going artificial. Garlands and ribbon streamers, too, should be placed out of reach of small children because of choking and tree-tipping dangers. Fragile glass balls and ornaments, including any with small pieces, can be securely tied high on the tree, but avoid using tinsel icicles and hook-style ornament hangers around small children, as both pose choking risks.

Deck the Hall… Safely!
Parents can comfortably decorate with swags of boughs, garlands and lights placed well out of reach over doorways and in other high areas, with electrical cords secured to the wall and plugged into inaccessible outlets wherever possible. When decorating a stairway in a home with children three years old or younger, avoid wrapping boughs, garlands or light strands around the stair railing or banister. These decorations pose the risk of choking or strangulation, and they also can make the stairs inviting to play on and railings difficult for small hands to grip. For a safer holiday touch, securely tie individual decorative bows or other durable accents onto the railing or banister, on the side away from the stairs.

Decorate child-accessible areas on the tree appropriately for children’s ages. Some kid-tough ornaments to consider include mini frames made from fun foam, felt, or fabric; cloth-covered foam balls, canes and other shapes; solid wood shapes; and fabric bows.

Remember to check gifts under the tree for wrappings that may be dangerous, such as tied-on ornaments and stretchy elastic cording. For added safety around the Christmas tree, a versatile child safety gate such as KidCo’s Configure Gate or Hearth Gate can be installed to keep little ones at a safe distance.

Festive, Kid-Smart Holiday Home Trimmings
Parents can easily decorate child-accessible areas throughout the house using child-friendly items with a festive twist. Consider topping a coffee table with durable wooden bowls filled with colorful children’s blocks, or quilted holiday baskets spilling festive fabric-covered foam balls. Other kid-friendly holiday décor ideas include tough acrylic candy dishes filled with holiday cookies, and carved wooden figures and charming toys tied with bright holiday bows. A children’s wooden nativity scene can make a homey, worry-free holiday centerpiece in any room, and a child-safe dash of holiday color can be added to sofas using piles of festive holiday pillows.

Add Holiday Color with Throw Pillows or Slip-on Covers
Pillows are great, worry-free way to safely add festive color and pop to a room frequented by toddlers. Switch out everyday throw pillows for seasonal colors – or look for inexpensive pillowcovers in to slip over your everyday pillows. Bed, Bath & Beyond offers a line of removable throw pillow covers in standard throw sizes. Or you can make your own no-sew pillow covers out of festive fleece patterns. See our super-easy No-Sew Fleece Pillow Project for instructions.

Kid-Smart Entertaining and Durable Holiday Table Styles
Families can enjoy festive and elegant dinner tables even in a home full of active kids. It’s easy to adorn holiday tables and buffets with plastic dinnerware, drinkware and serving pieces in styles that mimic the beauty of fine glass, ceramic and porcelain – without the danger of breakage. And make the Kid’s table the best seat in the house with ways to serve little ones in style – and keep them happy while you enjoy dinner, too!

Child Safety On-the-Go
If spending the holidays away from home, parents with small children should take a quick moment to rearrange for safety upon arrival. Consider packing a few portable childproofing devices such as removable cabinet locks, electrical outlet covers and a pressure-mounted gate like KidCo’s Center Gateway. If playing host this season, ask houseguests to keep medicines and toiletries safely hidden out of children’s reach, or consider clearing an inaccessible shelf for guests’ use. A careful moment will make holiday visits safer for children and more relaxing for all. See our Child Safety on the Go Checklist entry for more tips on traveling with little tykes.

Home Safety Never Takes a Holiday
Whether celebrating baby’s first Christmas or maintaining a home full of busy older kids, all parents should remember that safety never takes a holiday. But a little caution and creative planning can make an inviting, safe and stylish home easy to achieve for merry family holidays.

Thanksgiving wreath decoration diy project

This richly colored fall wreath is so easy to make, I actually pulled it together one Thanksgiving morning when I realized I didn’t have a door decoration to greet my guests. 

Luckily, I had wreath form and a bag of fall-hued silk leaves tucked away in the crafts cabinet. I just added a little hot glue, a bow, and voila!

It’s versatile, too. Without the bow, the leaf-covered wreath makes a great tabletop piece for ringing candles or other fall decorations.

To make this quick and  simple Thanksgiving Wreath, you’ll need:

• Wreath form – foam or straw works well
• Hot Glue
• 2-3 Handfuls of medium to large silk leaves in various colors and sizes
• Wire-edged ribbon

To assemble:

Step 1: Lay the wreath form on some newspaper and arrange the leaves along the wreath form, overlapping them. Make sure they cover the sides. You don’t have to cover the back.

Step 2: Using hot glue, attach the leaves. You’ll have to remove some to get this going. Just begin in one spot and continue layering and overlapping the leaves as you glue them down.

Step 3: For a wreath, make a bow from the wire-edge ribbon and attach. For centerpiece rings, you can wrap with a length of ribbon, or just leave plain.

Options:Make it your own! Twist raffia around the wreath and use a raffia bow. Add berries, pinecones, feathers or other seasonal embellishments.

Jar recipes for everything from cookies to soups to hot drink mixes can be found on the internet and even in some cookbooks. In most jar recipes, you’ll simply measure dry ingredients into a standard one-quart canning jar, and then tie a card with the cooking instructions to the lid. You can also adapt some of your own recipe favorites, but try a few jar recipes first to get the hang of the proportions.

Here are three classic Recipe Gifts-in-a-Jar to get you started. Build your layers in a 1-qt canning jar in the order written. For the prettiest finish, pack each layer flat before adding the next – a small ladle or meat hammer works well – then secure the lid, add a decorative ribbon and attach the cooking instructions.

Oatmeal Chippers Cookies
Jar Mix:
1-1/3 C old-fashioned oats or quick-oats
½ C granulated sugar
¾ C semi-sweet chocolate chips
½ C brown sugar
1/3 C chopped pecans
1-1/3 C all-purpose flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
¼ tsp salt
variations: substitute chocolate chips for mini M&M’s, or cut pecans and add more chips
Print Oatmeal Chippers cooking instructions to include with jar gift

Confetti Soup
Jar Mix:
1/3 C beef bullion granules
¼ C dried minced onion
½ C dried split peas
¼ C barley
½ C dried lentils
1 tsp. dried thyme
½ tsp. garlic salt
1 tsp. dried basil
1 dried bay leaf
1/3 C long-grain white rice
1-1/2 C Tri-color spiral pasta (rotini)
Print Confetti Soup cooking instructions to include with jar gift

Cocoa Steamer Instant Hot Cocoa Mix
Note: this recipe yields about 5 quarts of mix. It’s a way to make bulk gifts for teachers, neighbors and co-workers, and you can package it in just about anything, from canning jars, to clean recycled food jars, to food gift bags. 

1 Box Nonfat Instant Milk (8-qt yield size)
1 1-lb. jug of dry nonfat dairy creamer
1 large jar Nestle Quick, Ovaltine or another chocolate milk mix
1 1-lb. box powdered sugar
1 container Hershey’s Powdered Cocoa (Dutch Processes is best)
variations: add 1 jar instant coffee for Mocha Steamer mix

Blend first 3 ingredients together in 1-2 large mixing bowls. Add powdered sugar and cocoa powder, sifting if lumpy. Blend mix thoroughly and spoon into jars, bags or store in airtight container. Tie on instructions together with a candy cane or a small bag of mini-marshmallows for a holiday treat.
Print Cocoa Steamer Hot Cocoa instructions to include with gift jars or bags

Step One – Clean Out and Organize Kitchen Trouble Spots
A cluttered, disorganized kitchen can become a holiday entertaining horror show, especially if your kitchen is starved for storage space like mine. But who has the time — or desire — to do a full clean-out with Christmas looming? Instead, tackle the areas that will be heavily used or that really bother you; for me it’s the fridge, pantry and mixing bowl catch-all cabinet. Set aside a half-hour to an hour or so for a quick clean-out of your trouble spots. And if you’re still struggling to fit bulky colanders, mixing and storage bowls in tight cabinets, add the new space-saving collapsible versions to your wish list this year. They’re ideal for stretching space in cramped cabinets.

Step Two – Take Stock of Serving Essentials
Hosting everything from big family gatherings to impromptu visits with friends is easy when serving essentials are conveniently at hand. During your quick clean-out gather together (or at least locate) platters, trays, cheese boards, serving tongs, pitchers and other key serving pieces. With serving tools at the ready, you can quickly whip out hors d’oeuvres and festive beverages in style.

Step Three – Makin’ a List… As You Go
As you do your clean-out, keep a notepad handy to jot down foods or spices to be replenished and serving or party goods to purchase. Also note any special ingredients you’ll need to buy for holiday menus and goodies.

Step Four – De-Clutter Countertops for Holiday Peace-of-Mind
Cluttered countertops jangle the nerves of the most resilient cook, especially when workspace is sparse. Don’t fight countertop clutter during your holiday cooking, instead give yourself some breathing room. Store rarely-used appliances in upper cabinets, move mail or school paper stacks out of the kitchen, and remove anything that clutters or blocks food prep areas. You’ll be amazed at how a tidy countertop can soothe the soul.