| How to Make Christmas Tree Decorations Posted: 13 Dec 2019 04:00 PM PST Sick of store-bought Christmas ornaments? Want to add a little individual flair to your tree? Or just looking for a fun Christmas project for you and your family? You've come to the right place! This article will provide you with some great homemade ornament ideas, all of which are low-cost and easy to make. Happy crafting! [Edit]Making Easy DIY Decorations - Spray paint pine cones. Collect some pine cones - large or small - and spray paint them gold or silver. Attach a piece a ribbon to the top and hang from your tree. Alternatively, roll the pine cone in some glue and then in some glitter for a sparkly finish!
- Make a popcorn and cranberry garland. Take a needle and some strong thread (nylon or waxed cotton), a bowl of air-popped popcorn and a cup of cranberries. Thread the needle, making a large knot from the end. Begin sewing the popcorn and cranberries onto the thread, alternating between each, or using any pattern you like. Make a large knot at the end of the string. Hang on your indoor Christmas tree or, even better, on an outside tree to provide a tasty treat for the birds! [1]
- Make Lego presents. This is an easy one for kids to make! Assemble some large Lego pieces to form a square or rectangular present shape. Take a length of colored ribbon and tie it around the Lego, making a bow on top. Place your Lego presents under the tree or hang them from the branches!
- Make a gumdrop snowflake. Take one large, ball-shaped gumdrop and stick six toothpicks into it, at regular intervals. Stack a selection of smaller gumdrops onto each toothpick until they are full. Attach a ribbon for hanging on the Christmas tree, or simply balance the gumdrop snowflake on a branch.[2]
- Make a jigsaw Rudolph. Grab five jigsaw pieces (two of which slot into each other) and paint them light brown. Take one piece of jigsaw to form the base, and glue the two attached pieces to the bottom half. This will be Rudolph's face. Take the remaining two jigsaw pieces (unattached) and glue them to the top half of the base piece to form the antlers. Glue a circle of red felt (or a red gumdrop) to the bottom of the jigsaw to form a nose, along with two googly eyes. Attach a ribbon to the back for hanging.
- Make cinnamon bundles. Take five or six cinnamon sticks and form a bundle. Tie with a piece of red or green ribbon and make a bow on top. Hang from the branches of the Christmas tree for a pretty and fragrant ornament!
- Make a photo cube. Buy a wooden/foam/cardboard cube, then print out six christmas photos (you, friends, trees, etc.) Cut the photos to the right size for each side. Using glue (hot glue is best), paste the photos onto each side of cube. Attach a string to hang. If you want, you can write on one side.
[Edit]Making Salt Dough Ornaments - Gather the ingredients and equipment. To make your salt dough ornaments, you will need one cup of plain flour, half a cup of salt and half a cup of water. You will also need Christmas themed cookie cutters (stars, Christmas trees, angels, wreaths, etc.) a cookie sheet, a rolling pin, some toothpicks, ribbon, and acrylic paints and glitter glue for decorating.
- Make the salt dough. In a large mixing bowl, combine the flour, salt and water and stir until it forms a dough. Turn the dough out onto a floured surface and knead until smooth. If the dough is too sticky, add a little more flour -- though not too much, as this will cause the dough to crack.
- Use cookie cutters to cut out shapes. With a floured rolling pin, roll out the dough until it is about in thickness. Use your Christmas themed cookie cutters to cut out shapes in the dough. Place each shape on a floured surface as you cut out the rest of the dough.
- Make holes in each ornament for hanging. Before you bake your ornaments, you will need to make a little hole at the top of each where you can thread a ribbon to hang the ornament from your tree. Use a toothpick to make punch a hole near the top of each ornament, rotating the toothpick a little to make the hole wide enough for your ribbon to fit through.
- Bake the ornaments. Place your salt dough ornaments on a floured cookie sheet and place on the middle shelf of an oven preheated to . Bake for two hours, then remove from the oven, place on a wire rack and allow to cool completely.
- Decorate. Once the salt dough ornament have cooled, you can decorate them using the acrylic paints and glitter glue. Depending on personal preference, you can use a small paint brush to paint on intricate details, or you can simply cover the decoration in one block color. You can also glue on sequins, button and crystals for extra decoration.
- Thread the ribbon. Cut a length of ribbon - preferably in red, green or white - and thread it through the hole at the top of the ornament. Secure with a knot and hang from the tree. If you like, you can write the date on the back of the ornament to remember when you made it![3]
[Edit]Making Felt Snowman Ornaments - Gather your materials. To make your felt snowman ornament you will need pieces of felt in white, brown, orange and black. You will also need a piece of white ribbon (approximately 5 inches in length), a sewing needle and thread (in colors matching the felt), a pen, a scissors, some polyester fiberfill and a sheet of paper.
- Cut out the body of the snowman. Draw the outline of a snowman onto the sheet of paper. Make the snowman whatever shape you like -- two snowballs high, three snowballs high, fat, skinny -- it's up to you.
- Cut the paper snowman outline, then place it on a piece of white felt.
- Use your pen to trace the outline of the snowman onto the felt, then cut it out with the scissors.
- Trace another snowman outline onto a second piece of felt and cut that one out too.
- You should now have two identical snowman outlines.
- Cut out the snowman's arms and facial features.
- Cut out five small circles from the piece of black felt. These will form the snowman's eyes, along with his three coal buttons.
- Cut out a small triangle from the orange felt. This will form the carrot for the snowman's nose.
- Cut out two stick shapes from the brown felt. These will be the snowman's arms.
- Sew on the snowman's eyes, nose and buttons. Take one of the white felt snowman outlines and hand-stitch the eyes, carrot nose and coal buttons into place. Use thread of a corresponding color for each piece, i.e. orange thread for the nose, and black thread for the other pieces.
- Assemble the snowman.
- Take the two white felt body pieces and line them up, placing the piece with the sewn-on features on top.
- Take the brown felt arms and place them between the two body pieces, sticking out at an angle.
- Take the length of white ribbon, fold it over, and insert the end between the two body pieces at the top of the snowman's head. This will form the hanging loop for the finished ornament.
- Sew it all together. Take your needle and some white thread and hand-stitch the two body pieces together, leaving a seam allowance of only .
- As you're stitching, make sure to catch both of the snowman's arms and the looped thread in a stitch, in order to secure them in place.
- Don't stitch the entire snowman closed just yet; leave a space of about to an inch open at the bottom.
- Stuff the snowman. Take your polyester fiberfill and stuff it into the snowman, making him nice and plump. Once you've done this, you can finish the snowman by stitching the snowman closed. Hang your jolly felt snowman on the Christmas tree and admire your handiwork![4]
[Edit]Making Glitter Ball Ornaments - Collect some clear glass ornaments. They can be any size you like, just make sure that they have easily removable tops.
- Remove the tops and pour in a little floor wax. Gently remove the tops from the glass ornaments (you don't want to damage them) and pour a small amount of floor wax or floor finish into the glass ball.
- This may sound strange, but this is what allows the glitter to stick to the inside of the ball. Just make sure the product you use is acrylic based and clear drying.
- Gently swirl the product around the inside of the ornament, making sure the entire inside surface is coated in floor wax.
- Once you're done, you can pour the floor wax back into the bottle. Waste not, want not!
- Grab a selection of different colored glitters. Pour a substantial amount of your chosen glitter into the glass ornament and swirl it around until the glitter completely covers the interior of the ornament. Shake any excess back into the container of glitter.
- You can choose any colors you like --gold, silver, red, blue, green, purple -- whichever ones go with the color scheme for your tree.
- If you want to be really wild, you could even try mixing a few different colors for a real disco ball effect.
- Replace the top. Once the glitter has dried, you can replace the top of the ornament. Use a little to secure it in place if it feels in any way loose.
- Decorate the outside. If you like, you can leave the glitter ball ornaments as they are. Alternatively, you can decorate the outsides using snowflake- or star-shaped scrapbook stickers and some diamante sequins.[5]
[Edit]Making Clothespin Snowflake Ornaments - Take eight wooden clothespins. Eight wooden clothespins will make one snowflake ornament. Carefully separate each clothespin, removing the metal springs.
- Glue the two halves of each clothespin together. Take some hot glue or wood glue and stick the flat sides of each clothespin together. Take a piece of ribbon, fold it in half, and insert both ends between two of the wooden pieces before you glue them. This will allow you to hang the ornament later.
- Make the snowflake. Assemble the snowflake as follows:
- Take two of the glued-together pieces and align the flattened edges at the top to form a right-angle. Attach two more pieces to form an X shape.
- Take the remaining four glued-together pieces and stick one in between each right angle. You should now have a snowflake.
- Paint the snowflake. Paint the snowflake using white or gold spray paint. Paint with a slight, glittery shimmer can look very nice. Stick sequins or jewels onto the ornament as you see fit.[6]
[Edit]Printable Snowman Template - If your tree does not come pre-lit, pick up some lights and string them.
- Another great thing is to pick up some fake snow spray and spray that on the tips of your tree. Also get some candy canes and hang them on the tree.
- Try to make this a family activity and have fun!
- Get all of the supplies you need for making D.I.Y. decorations at a craft store, or check out your local dollar store or Walmart.
[Edit]Warnings - Be careful with the tacks and metal hooks.
[Edit]Related wikiHows [Edit]References [Edit]Quick Summary |
| How to Clean Frost Off Car Windows Quickly Posted: 13 Dec 2019 08:00 AM PST If you're running late for work in the morning, the last thing you want to see in your driveway is a car with completely frosted-over windows. Driving with ice on your windshield is unsafe, and to do so would be violating the Highway Code in the UK; which could lead to points being put on your licence if you get stopped by the police. Scraping it off with an ordinary ice scraper takes valuable time and can even scratch the glass. Luckily, these aren't your only options. De-ice your windows with any of these quick, easy tricks. [Edit]Using a De-Icer - Buy a commercial de-icer or make your own. Specially-formulated de-icing fluid is available at most filling stations, garages and supermarkets; especially if you live in an area with cold winters. However, if you don't have any de-icer on hand or you just want to save money, it's not hard to make your own. Follow the simple instructions below:[1]
- To make your own de-icer, pour rubbing alcohol into a clean, dry spray bottle. Add a few drops of dish soap. Screw the lid on, then invert several times to mix.[2]
- Spray your de-icer on the window. Whether you bought de-icer or made your own, you'll use it the same way. Spray your de-icer directly on to the icy parts of your window, then allow it to soak in briefly. You shouldn't need to wait more than a minute or two - the more de-icer you use, the less time you'll have to wait.
- Scrape as normal. Use a plastic scraper, a gloved hand, or another tool to scrape the ice away. You should find that it comes off of your window much quicker and easier than it normally would, saving you time overall. If needed, re-apply your de-icer to difficult spots as you scrape.[3]
- In commercial concentrations, rubbing alcohol has a very low freezing point, so it's usually OK to leave your de-icer in the car unless you're expecting temperatures of -20 F (-29 C) or lower.
[Edit]Using a Credit Card - Turn your car's heated window on. This last-resort method is appropriate when you don't have a lukewarm water, de-icing fluid, or any conventional scraping tools at your disposal - for instance, if your car's window froze in the car park whilst you were at work. Because you're going to attempt to remove the ice with a credit card or other improvised tool, it's wise to give yourself as much help as possible. To begin, start your car and turn on your heater/defroster up as high as it goes. Leave this running throughout the process - over time, it will soften and begin to melt the ice, making your job much easier.
- Find an appropriate credit card. Dig through your wallet to find a credit card or any similar stiff, solid plastic card. Don't use a laminated card - these aren't stiff or sturdy enough to scrape the ice effectively. If possible, try to use a card that isn't important to you, like an old, expired credit card, as this method carries the risk of damage to your card. However, don't keep it for too long, as your card provider would recommend that you destroy your old card as soon as possible for counter-fraud purposes.[4]
- Start scraping. Hold the long edge of your card at an angle against the window and push firmly. Try to keep the card as straight as possible, not allowing it to bend or flex as you scrape. If you do, you may end up deforming or breaking it.
- Be persistent! As far as scrapers go, credit cards can require more effort than dedicated scrapers. You may need to push quite hard to get results.
- If you're worried about breaking your card, you may want to double or triple the strength of your scraper by holding two or three cards stacked as you scrape.
- Use your wipers and fluid to assist. As you scrape ice away, you'll probably accumulate ice shavings at the edges of the window. Periodically, spray wiper fluid and run the wipers for a few seconds. The wiper fluid can help soften up any remaining ice, while the wipers themselves will help brush the ice shavings out of the way. Between the scraping action of your credit card, your wipers and fluid, and your defroster, your window should be free of ice within a few minutes.
[Edit]Using Warmed Rice Packets or Sodium Acetate Hand-Warmers - Place rice in a mitten or heavy duty zip-lock bag and microwave for 30 seconds to a minute. You may need to make several of these to complete the job.[5]
- Pass the rice packet back and forth over the inside of the window while seated inside your car. This will warm the glass and the ice will melt.[6]
- Sodium acetate hand-warmers also can be used in this manner and can stay ready in the car. A quick click activates the heat reaction, then you can recharge the warmers by boiling in water.
- The advantage of this method over scraping, is because the glass is warmed as you start to drive it will not re-frost. Also you stay warm and dry inside the car while prepping for departure.
- Be careful and quick. Just like boiling water may crack glass, holding a hot warmer in one place too long may stress the glass. Only allow it to remain in place long enough to start to show melting, as it will continue to melt while moving on to a new area. Windshield wipers and rolling down the side windows can be used to clear moisture.[7]
[Edit]Preventing Window Ice - Cover your windows at night. One sure-fire way to ensure you're not delayed by icy windows in the morning is to prevent ice from forming in the first place. To do so, cover your windows with a towel, a folded sheet, or a piece of cardboard at night before dew or ice forms on the window. Try to arrange the cover tight against the window so that dew (and eventually, ice) can't form in any loose spots.[8]
- One useful trick for your front windshield is to use your car's windshield wipers to hold your cover in place. For your other windows, you may want to use small rocks or other weights to pin your cover down.
- Remove the window covers in the morning. Pull your towels, sheets, etc. away from the window. They may be damp and/or icy, so, if you plan to use your window covers again at your destination, be sure to lay down a water-tight barrier, like a tarp, before throwing them in your trunk.
- Spot-scrape any icy spots. Though this method should greatly reduce the amount of ice on your windows, there may be a few small patches remaining. Use a plastic scraper, your hand, or a similar tool to remove these if they obscure your vision. If you're in a hurry, you may want to get in your car and use your windshield wipers in conjunction with the defroster and your wiper fluid.
- If icing is expected, lift the wipers from the windshield surface to prevent them from being frozen to the glass.
- Make sure that wipers are set to off when shutting the car off, so that should the wipers freeze to the glass, they won't try to start before the frost and ice has melted when the car is started.
- The blowers on cars generally don't reach all the way down where the windshield wipers live when they're off. Before you turn the car off for the night, pop the wipers up just an inch or so by using a quick touch on the manual wipe option. When you turn on the blower the next morning, the blades of your wipers will be defrosted first.
- For thin frost, you can turn your defrost all the way up and turn your windshield wipers on to do some of the "scraping".
- Room temperature or cold tap water works quickly, especially for thick ice. Pour from the top of the windshield to get your scraper started.
- When temperatures are at or slightly below freezing, using the windshield washer fluid and wipers can speed the melting process. If it is very cold, however, the thin layer of fluid on the windshield left after the wipers pass, may freeze very quickly, especially if driving.
- If you forget to lay out a cover or the ice is unexpected, go outside 10 minutes before you need to leave and turn on your car. Switch your heat to the windows and turn it all the way up. This will melt the ice on the windshield. It's best not to leave your car unattended while it's running, however, since it's possible for thieves to steal it from your driveway or parking space.
- You can prevent frost from accumulating on your windshield overnight by parking your car facing east. The sunrise will melt away any ice.
[Edit]Warnings - Do not use a metal edged shovel (or any metal object not designed for scraping windows) to scrape the frost, snow or ice from a windshield.
- Free windshield wipers from ice on the windshield before turning them on.
- Never pour hot water over a frosted windshield. The rapid temperature change will result in cracking the glass.
- A plastic card may break or otherwise be rendered unusable after using it to clear frost from the windshield. Select a card that is expendable - or keep an expired credit card expressly for this purpose.
[Edit]Things You'll Need - Plastic card
- Spray de-icer
- Windshield wipers
[Edit]Related wikiHows [Edit]References [Edit]Quick Summary |
| How to Make Mulled Wine Posted: 13 Dec 2019 12:00 AM PST Sweet, spiced wine has been popular ever since the Romans.[1] This delicious concoction of fruit and spices makes a perfect drink for the festive season. Served warm, it takes the chill out of any winter evening. [Edit]Ingredients Serves: 8; Preparation Time: 15 minutes; Cooking Time: 20 to 60 minutes - 2 bottles (1.5 liters) red wine
- ½ cup (100g) sugar (superfine, granulated, or raw), or maple syrup, plus extra to taste
- 1 orange
- 1 lemon
- 12 whole cloves
- piece of cinnamon stick
- 2 whole nutmeg seeds, cracked into pieces with a hammer[2]
- piece of ginger, peeled and cut in half
- 3 tbsp (45mL) brandy (optional)
Feel free to experiment with spices. Other common options include star anise, mace, allspice, cardamom, vanilla bean, and whole black peppercorns. [Edit]Preparing Ingredients - Toast your spices (optional). Toast your spices in a dry pan over medium heat until they brown lightly and release fragrance, or for one or two minutes.[3] Besides improving their aroma, dry roasting tends to make spices more mellow and complex. The exact flavor change depends on the spice.[4] Whether or not you toast the spices is a matter of taste, so feel free to experiment.
- Do not toast wet ingredients such as citrus or raw ginger.
- Tie the solid ingredients in a square of cheesecloth (optional). This makes it easy to remove the spices when it's time to pour the wine. Alternatively, just add them to the pot loose and pour the wine through a strainer before serving.
- You can also stick the cloves into the skin of a whole orange or other citrus fruit to make a traditional, decorative infuser.
- Put the spices in a nonreactive pan. Wine and other acidic ingredients can pick up potentially harmful amounts of metal from aluminum, copper, and cast iron, or corrode the protective coating on some cookware. It's best to use less reactive options such as stainless steel, anodized aluminum, or nonstick materials, especially if you cook with wine often.[5][6]
- Add the citrus fruit. Slice one orange and one lemon directly into the pot, or add only the juice and zest, discarding the rest. The second option allows you to avoid bitter flavors from the white pith, so make sure to zest only the colorful outer skin.[7]
- Dry fruit is another nice addition to mulled wine. If you happen to have dried apricots, cherries, sultanas, or prunes, toss in a small handful.[8]
- Pour in two bottles of wine. Mulling will cover up nuanced flavors, so there's no point using the good stuff. A cheap, fairly dry red is a good choice. Fruity flavors should be prominent, with no strong oak or tannic components that could turn the brew bitter.[9] Try Cabernet Sauvignon, Bordeaux, or Pinot Noir.
- You can mull white wine, but it works better with lighter flavors, such as vanilla and elderflower cordial.[10]
- Add the sugar. Start with ½ cup (100g) granulated or raw sugar. If you have a sweet tooth or your wine is particularly dry, you can always add more at the end after taste testing.
- Replace the sugar with maple syrup for a richer flavor that complements the ginger, cinnamon, and other spicy flavors.
[Edit]Mulling the Wine - Simmer until sugar dissolves. Heat the pan over low heat until it steams and reaches a low simmer. Heat for about ten minutes, stirring occasionally until all the sugar has dissolved in the wine.
- Cover half the pan to speed up this process.
- Reduce to a very low simmer. The wine still needs more time to infuse, but high heat may scorch it and produce unpleasant flavors. Keep it on low heat for the rest of the process.
- Some cooks even take the pan off heat at this point and leave it, covered, to infuse while cooling slowly.[11] If you do this, warm the wine up again before serving.
- Let the wine infuse for another 10 to 45 minutes. Taste the wine after another 10 minutes to see whether the flavors have infused. If the wine tastes harsh or weakly flavored, continue simmering until it mellows out and takes on the flavors of spice and citrus.
- Do not simmer for more than one hour total.[12]
- Stir in a splash of brandy (optional). An uncovered pot of wine will typically lose about 40% of its alcohol in half an hour of simmering.[13] If you want to restore that boozy punch, add 3 tablespoons (45mL) of chest-warming brandy to the pot.
- Alcohol will boil away more quickly in a wide pot with more surface area.
- Serve warm. Serve in thick, heatproof glasses or small mugs. Decorate with extra cinnamon sticks, star anise, or orange slices studded with cloves.
- Mulled wine is best served immediately, but can keep for a day or two in the refrigerator. Reheat before serving.
- You can mull wine in a slow cooker instead. Heat on low for about an hour.[14]
- If you don't have these spices already, it's cheaper to buy a packet of pre-mixed mulling spices than to buy them all separately. It doesn't necessarily provide the best flavor, though, and you won't be able to adjust the taste to your liking.
- The Victorians invented many recipes for their beloved mulled drinks. Try the intense "smoking bishop:" mulled wine made from 1 part ruby port and 2 parts red wine, plus grapefruit, oranges, sugar, and cloves.[15]
[Edit]Warnings - Be sure to use glasses able to withstand hot liquid.
- Do not let the mixture boil. This can affect your flavor and burn off the alcohol more quickly.[16]
[Edit]Things You'll Need - Large saucepan
- Stirring utensil
- Ladle
- Knife, vegetable peeler, or microplane zester
- Sturdy, heatproof mugs or glasses
[Edit]Related wikiHows [Edit]References [Edit]Quick Summary |
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