Create your own early signs of
spring by placing this outdoors on a porch or in a sheltered garden
area for early color or greenery

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What You Need: a Mason jar, string of beads, glass decorative pebbles, and a flower stem of your choice- artificial preferably- you can add water if you plan to use a real flower.

First place the decorative pebbles at the bottom of the jar. Next, the string of beads. Finally, stick the flower into the jar and you’re done! It’s a  fun decoration and an easy and thoughtful gift for the first day of Spring or Earth Day.

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Creating a festive wreath is a simple and

affordable way to spruce up your home for the holidays. It is also an easy craft young and old can enjoy.

Wreaths are a timeless decoration and as versatile as your imagination. There are no rules. Anything you love can be incorporated into this special decoration. Below are a few of our favorite ideas.

• Bake a wreath of braided bread and decorate with dried and candied fruits and nuts.
• A Traditional pine bough wreath can be made from the trimmed Christmas tree branches with pine cone and ribbon accents.
• Straw ring wreaths decorated with silk autumn leaves and miniature pumpkins make a great Thanksgiving centerpiece with a large candle inside.
• Braided cloth wreaths adorned with Christmas Tree ornaments of any kind have endless possibilities.
• Small wispy wreaths of berry branches add a homey touch to holiday tables as napkin rings or around the base of each beverage glass.

Happy Holidays from the staff of Mountain Valley Living. Please share your wreath making ideas with us at mountainvalleyliving.com

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*Tea for Two!*

Christmas Tea Basket

To Create The Basket Above You Will Need:

Large to medium sized Christmas basket or container

Smaller basket or container- should fit easily into larger container

Wreath (matching the size of your container width)

6- 10 sheets of tissue paper (green or white)

3 small red tree ornament balls (plastic-so they won’t break)

Christmas dish towel (rolled up)

Loose leaf tea

2 Tea diffusers

2 mugs or tea cups

Christmas themed small goodie bag

Cookies or chocolate

Instructions:

Take larger basket and stuff tissue paper at the bottom until 2/3 full. Place wreath loosely around top rim of large basket, and push wreath down into basket where you plan the front to be. This will make the wreath in the back hold contents in upright position. Take smaller basket and place towards back of basket. Fill small basket with tissue paper until 2/3 full. Place loose leaf tea container, rolled up dish towel, and tea diffusers into smaller container. They should sit tall to create dimension. Next, Place mugs side by side in front of small basket. Bag cookies or chocolate in small goodie bag, tie, and place in front of cups. Lastly, place tree ornament balls around basket securely, glue if needed. Add detail with a Santa or snowman ornament. In the basket above, a Santa decorative plant stake was used, to insert easily into a tight place. Remember, you don’t have to use these exact items, personalize it with desserts or items you know the receiver will love.

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*Center your holiday table with three of these trees or use as a single focal point on a shelf *

Potpourri Christmas Tree

You Will Need: (for a single tree)

1 dowel rod

1 bag of potpourri (Christmas colors: greens, reds, white…)

1 foam cone (size is up to you)

1 bag hot glue gun and glue sticks

1 small glass votive (shaped like a flower pot)

1 can glitter spray

Brown acrylic paint

Small paint brush

Instructions:

Heat hot glue gun. Break small dowel rod in half. Stick rod, broken end first, into bottom of foam cone and push until centered and sturdy. Bottom of rod should be sticking out about 5 inches from cone, with a flat end. Lightly brush some brown acrylic paint onto visible dowel rod to create the look of a tree trunk. Let dry. Hot glue a large amount of glue into the bottom of the glass votive. While hot, press rod firmly into center of glue and hold until dry. To make more secure, fill up the rest of the votive with a small amount of potpourri and layers of hot glue. Carefully begin to glue individual pieces of potpourri to foam cone, pressing pieces gently for a few seconds to dry. The more obscure the pieces the better. This may take some time. Create dimension by gluing a single layer of potpourri, and then filling in spaces and holes with pieces on top of pieces. Finally, in a well ventilated and protected area (best if outside) spray tree with gold glitter spray until desired. Let dry completely before displaying.

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*This is a wonderful gift idea, and a special touch for your own kitchen *

Keeping Kitchen Memories

You Will Need:

A handwritten recipe that’s been passed down or a recipe card of your family’s favorite meal, or a recipe with special meaning- your wedding cake recipe for example.

A frame- design and color to your preference. Just make sure the recipe card will fit-the average card is 5X3 inches.

Frame recipe cards or written notes. Look for recipe cards that have classic or old fashion designs to add character. You may overlap to put multiple recipe cards in one frame, or showcase a specific card by itself. The possibilities are endless; enjoy the flashbacks as you create a framed piece of family history to keep for yourself or share with others.

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*Gourds galore and falling leaves, a beautiful centerpiece you will achieve!*

You Will Need: (for one)

1 glass vase

Small gourds (enough to fill your vase)

1 fall themed garland (4 ft)

10 branches of wheat

3 thick branches

5 branches of filler branches( your choice)

Instructions:

Fill vase with gourds. Randomly begin to stick wheat branches into gourds. Make sure they are placed evenly around the vase and not sticking straight up. Take 1 thick branch and stick in the middle of the vase. This branch should be higher than the wheat branches and angle slightly back. Now take the remaining two thick branches and stick one out the left at an angle, and one out to the right at an angle. These will help hold up the garland. Now take your filler branches and stick them where any holes or spaces are that need to be filled. Very carefully take the garland and twist in and around the existing branches for support. The end of the garland should be supported or attached to the center thick branch so that piece has height. Refer to the picture for help.

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*A fun craft and gift from the little artist in your family *

Hand Etched Candles

You Will Need:

Candles (height does not matter- make sure your colors aren’t too dark)

Acrylic paint (colors are your choice)

Small paint brush

Dull pencil or a pen

Instructions:

Decide what design you would like to create on your candle. Using your pencil or pen, lightly create a rough draft. If you draw lightly at first and mess up, you’ll be able to cover it easily. Do not paint the top of the candle where the wick is. When happy with the results, go back and trace the design firmly so that it is etched into the candle. Do not press too hard or you may chip or break the candle. Brush off any excess wax. Then paint the lines of your design. Make sure the color of paint will show up against the color of the candle. Let the candles dry completely.

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*Collect old buttons and display your holiday cards or pictures in a unique way*

Festive Button Card Pins

You Will Need:

Buttons

Wooden clothespins

Hot glue gun and glue

1 can gold glitter spray

Raffia or Ribbon

Acrylic Paint- color your choice (optional)

Magnets (optional)

Instructions:

Spray clothespins with gold glitter in a well ventilated and protected area. Let them dry completely before handling. Heat glue and glue individual buttons onto clothespins. You may do multiple buttons, or a single one. You may also glue raffia bows or ribbon too. If you would like a color of a button that you do not have, simply paint it and let dry. When you’re finished decorating your pins, hang delivered holiday cards or pictures along a garland or thick piece of yarn. Or, glue magnets on the backs of each clothespin to display on your refrigerator.

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This holiday season finds many of us tightening our purse strings, but a heartwarming gift doesn’t have to break the bank. A simple photo album or scrapbook can be a very affordable and touching gift. A few years ago I bought a small photo album and made a book of You and Me for my sister. On the first page I put a picture of myself holding her on the day my parents brought her home from the hospital. I filled many pages with pictures of us together throughout the last thirty years. I left several empty pages at the end to be filled with memories yet to come. The whole project cost under $2o and she was genuinely touched as she flipped through the pages. I know it is a gift she will treasure always. It makes me happy to know that she will think of me each time she adds a picture to our special book of You and Me. Stickers, pressed flowers, lace and ribbon are just a few things you can add to personalize your own special book. Another great gift album is pictures of holidays past. It is very inexpensive to make copies of photos, so everyone on your gift list could have one. Remember to leave those empty pages at the end. Filling them up is half the fun.

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