Today we made cranberry wreaths and cornucopias. I am hopeful that by the end of the week we will have the tree up and decorated. It has been such a busy week that we have not had a free evening with my husband home to put it up. 

To make this cornucopia you will need some brown paper or a paper bag. Trace a 12"-14 " bowl and cut out the circle. You will then cut the circle in half. Each half circle is then folded into a cone and taped or stapled. I then cut a small hole in either side and attached a piece of raffia for a handle. I would have preferred twine, but raffia is what I found. I then placed a holiday pick inside. This is not quite as nice as I had hoped, but it will still look OK on the tree. You can cut a scallop edge on each one if you like. I am planning to make about a dozen for the tree. 

These cranberry wreaths are very easy. Just string some cranberries on a piece of thread and tie off at the end. I am also planning to use these on the tree.

Tomorrow we will be stringing popcorn. I may not post pictures because we all have seen this done before. 

Are you wondering why I decided to go for all homemade and mostly edible tree ornaments this year? Cost was one factor, but the biggest one was my 13 month old, Jack. I figured if he got them off of the tree and destroyed them he will not be ruining my nice ornaments. They will be at the top of the tree. 

I will let you know how the homemade star topper goes when we have a chance to get it made. 

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I managed to get 2 more ornament projects finished today. We are going for mostly homemade ornaments this year. I have no idea if it will all turn out the way I want it to. Today I dried orange slices in the oven and made cinnamon ornaments.

To make the orange slices you lay cut slices on a cookies sheet. (Cut them much thinner then I did) You then dry them for 4 hours on your ovens lowest setting, around 170 degrees. After 4 hours you flip them over and then check them every hour. They are finished when they are still slightly moist. This way they will retain their orange color. They will finish drying as they cool

To make the cinnamon ornaments you will need to combine 1 cup of cinnamon and 3/4 cup of store bought applesauce (homemade is to watery). The dough will be stiff. Roll it out between wax paper to about 1/4" thickness. You can then cut them into your desired shape and lay them out to dry for several days. Make sure to put a hole in them so you can hang them. I found that a straw makes a great tool for this. After they have dried you can decorate them or leave them plain.

Another tip about the cinnamon ornaments-Make sure your children know not to eat the dough, and make sure they keep their fingers away from their eyes. I had to constantly remind my daughter today.

Tomorrow I am hoping to show you the cornucopias we are working on. I thought they would be finished today, but who would have thought it would be so hard to find fake holly this time of the year. I have plans to try one more store tomorrow.

If you are interested in seeing where I have been getting some of my ideas you can go here for some inspiration of your own. I am also planning to have Madison help me string popcorn and make mini cranberry wreaths for the tree. I think I will see if my husband can make a star for the top using some sticks from the yard and then paint it gold.

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I did not get quite as much accomplished today as I had hoped. Jack was very cranky and cried most of the day. I thought I would show you the few things I managed to get done. Tomorrow I am hoping to give you some web sites and recipes for tons of do it yourself Christmas decor as well as some examples of what we are planning. I also hope to get some cleaning supply recipes posted.

I found these out in the garden today. I planted them last April!

Dinner on a budget. Pot roast, broccoli, homemade bread, sweet potatoes, and carrots.

This is a really cheap and elegant way to decorate. The tangerines cost about $1.69, the cloves were $2.00 (only used 1/2 container), free branches, and a pretty bowl.

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