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I would like to share some of the ways I add holiday color inside and out without spending a lot of green. The top image is an empty spice jar, filled with a mix of quick oats and glitter. Voila: Reindeer food! A printed and punched tag hung with baker's twine completes the package.
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A supermarket bunch of greens ($3.99) divided into buckets with a few snipped branches of berries makes a pretty (and hardy) winter mix for outdoors.
Click to enlargeA set of gift tags (
Cavallini & Co.) hung in an unexpected location adds to the anticipation of Christmas morning.
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Cavallini tags are pre-glittered but any tag will work well . . . and what's more fun than adding glitter to something?
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A broken ornament can still be part of the celebration when perched on a short stack of flower frogs.
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An arrangement of real and artificial is tied together with pops of faux red berry sprigs from the gift wrap aisle, meant for embellishing wrapped packages.
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An emptied jar filled with salt, glitter and a cupcake topper becomes part of a cheerful vignette.
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This weekend, my guys have been getting crafty with me, too. Yesterday we all decorated
mini gingerbread houses. Of course I had fun making gumdrop villagers (inspired by a Martha Stewart Kids magazine from Winter 2004; details available
here).
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Today I dazzled my boys by pulling out all of my Christmas craft stuff. My oldest crafted a clothespin Santa (still drying) and I made an elf from a spool. {I have a hunch I will be making many more of these.}
Still lots to get done but making the time for these small details is what keeps all the must-dos enjoyable for me. I plan to make time for a cup of hot cocoa with a cookie today. Sound good? Hope you will indulge a little, too.
xo
elyse