A blizzard of snowflake ornaments

My Christmas tree is already decorated and yes its not even Thanksgiving yet! It's hard not to get sucked into the holiday spirit when they are playing Christmas music on the radio, every department store is decorated from the floor to the ceiling in red and green decorations, and the weather outside feels more like winter than fall.

 

The theme of my tree for years has been snowflakes and this year I am attempting to make a few of my own snowflake ornaments. I did some searching for designs and finally found a few on the Better Homes and Gardens website. The first one, pictured above, is the Beaded Snowflake Ornament. The directions are easy to follow and can be found on the previous link. The finished product looks professional and makes a beautiful addition to any tree.

 

The next design I found on Better Homes and Gardens was the Jingle Bell Snowflake (pictured above). Decorating with jingle bells are a great way to incorporate simple and practical items into a unique holiday ornament. If you want to match your Jingle Bell Snowflakes to your color scheme just use colored bells. They might be harder to find at your local craft store so I would suggest doing a search on Etsy in their supplies section.

All of these are inexpensive to make and supplies can be found at your local craft store such as Michaels, Hobby Lobby, Jo-Ann Fabrics, or online at Esty.

Photos courtesy of Better Homes and Gardens

Thanksgiving Place Settings

In need for an idea for Thanksgiving place settings? Better Homes and Gardens has a festive and simple idea for your dinning room table. I've included the instructions below or you can follow the link to the actual page on the Better Homes and Gardens website.

What You Need:

• 3-inch terra-cotta flowerpot
• Crafting foam in black, yellow, green, and purple
• Scissors
• Acrylic paints in black, white, red, green, and blue
• Thick white crafts glue
• Black fabric paint pen

Instructions:

1. Paint the entire pot black and allow it to dry. Choose a color to paint the band around the top of the pot. Let it dry. Make white dots on the rest of the pot by dipping the handle of a paintbrush in white paint and dotting onto the surface.
2. Cut a circle from black foam. Cut it about 1/2 inch wider all around than the pot opening. Use an appropriate size dish, cup, or lid to trace. Place a small amount of glue on the rim of the pot and glue onto the black foam circle.
3. To make the buckle, measure the width of the band of the pot (the portion painted a different color). Cut a rectangle out of foam that measures about 1/8 inch deeper than the band on the pot. Glue it to the band. Let the glue dry.
4. Use a black paint pen to write the guest's name on the colored band. Allow it to dry before using.

Photo courtesy of Better Homes and Gardens