Salt Dough Christmas Decorations

Looking for ways to have a thrifty Christmas? why not have a go at making your own Salt Dough Christmas Decorations,

Ingredients needed:
200ml water
10oz plain flour
10oz salt
1 tbsp vegetable oil

Method:
Mix it all the ingredients together then when you're ready roll the mixture out, cut into shapes with cookie/biscuit cutters, my personal favourites being Snowmen, Gingerbread Men and Bell shaped cookie cutters,

Place on a baking tray, make sure you have made a hole in the top of the decoration for the ribbon to go through afterwards, a cocktail stick is a good thing to use. (make sure you make the hole big enough as when you bake the dough the mixture will grow slightly)

A personal favourite of mine is to add a sprinkle of cinnamon to the mix before baking to make the decorations smell nice and Christmassy (don’t use too much though)

Bake in an oven at approx 180C for 20 minutes, then paint and/or varnish or add glitter to make your own unique decoration.

Perfect for giving as a gift, or if the kids have helped you, keeping for sentimental reasons, they can even be re-used for years to come.

If you are truly inspired by all things Christmas then take a look at 24studio.co.uk/christmas they stock a wide range of Christmas gifts, trees, cards, wrap and decorations almost all year round as well as Craft material and Craft kits.

Advent Calendars

The first advent calendars appeared in 19th-Century Germany, when various methods of counting the days between the start of Advent and Christmas Day were used. Starting on the fourth Sunday before Christmas, or simply on 1 December, the Protestant Christians would keep track of the days by making marks on their doors with a piece of chalk, which would then be rubbed off one by one as Christmas approached. Other practices then developed, including burning a candle or putting up a small religious picture to mark each day.

These days during Advent, people make or buy Advent calendars as a way of counting the days to Christmas. Usually these calendars have twenty-four 'windows'.

Traditional calendar windows open up to show a picture of something linked with this time of year. One may show an angel or one of the shepherds who visited baby Jesus. Others may show pictures of Christmas presents, a candle or anything else to do with Christmas. The last window to be opened usually shows Jesus himself, lying in a manger.

Popular advent calendars today usually have chocolate hidden behind each window. The theme/ picture displayed is usually a character from a TV show or film.

Some people like to make their own Advent Calendars, this Homemade Origami Calendar pattern is one of my favourites, but doesn’t really leave much room for treats.

If it’s an advent calendar full of treats you're looking for, especially if you have younger children then a Wooden Advent Cabinet might be more suitable, where you have 24 little drawers in which to pop a sweet or a chocolate.

Dont forget to put an extra special treat in door number 24 though!

Santa! Stop Here!

Look at this cute Personalised Santa Stop Here Sign - also available in a reindeer design. 


Personalised with any name up to 11 letters, this simple stake sign pushes into soft ground - make sure Father Christmas doesn't miss your house!


More Christmas ideas.

Christmas Crafts

The run-up to Christmas is the perfect time to get crafty - especially if you have excited children to keep entertained!

Christmas crafts can be a lot of fun, and you could create some unique Christmas gifts, Christmas decorations or other accessories / novelties - as well as having lots of messy fun with paper, glue and glitter.

You can save items all year round for your Christmas craft box - find your inner magpie! - save anything shiny, bright or glittery, as virtually anything can be put to good use once your creative juices get flowing.

As a starting point, your Christmas craft box should include: paper and card (ideally in assorted colours), scissors, PVA glue, paints and pens, foil, and glitter. Also worth saving are pine cones, pieces of old wrapping paper, greetings cards, ribbons, bows, sequins and any other shiny bits or bobs you can save throughout the year.

The easiest Christmas craft projects to make are customised gift tags, paper chains, advent calendars and tree decorations.

You'll find some great Children's Christmas craft ideas at : www.enchantedlearning.com/crafts/christmas/.

Enchanted learning also have a selection of printable childrens Christmas activity books and worksheets with colouring, writing, questions and all kinds of fun activity to keep them busy.

Christmas Craft projects on the site also include puppets, wreaths, stockings and fun novelty items - and when you make your own gifts, you can personalise in any way you wish! 

Also worth a visit is www.allfreecrafts.com/christmas/index.shtml - packed with clever Christmas craft ideas, you'll find inspirational ideas for Christmas gifts and treats, some may be too tricky for younger children.

Why not get crafty this Christmas and make some special Christmas gifts - if you have children to help you, even better, some of the most memorable keepsakes and enduring Christmas ornaments are handmade by little hands!

If craft isn't your thing, you can start shopping for Christmas gifts and Christmas decorations nice and early with www.24studio.co.uk/christmas - they also stock all kinds of Christmas novelty items, cards, wrap, trees, and a range of craft materials and craft kits.

Great Christmas Shopping Website Link

Christmas Shopping fanatics!

Check out this website www.24studio.co.uk/christmas - packed full of wonderful Christmas stuff, and it's on sale even in the summer! (A Christmas maniac's dream!)

They specialise in personalised gifts (also great for Christmas!), but what I like about this online shopping website (UK) is their fab range of random and funny Christmas novelties.

Like.... this Santa Toilet Seat Cover (yes, you did read that right, it's a cover for a toilet seat!!)

I never really considered Christmas decorations in the bathroom before, but why not!? The message on the hat (and on the mat) reads "Santa sat here"....
Very cute, I think I need one!
Buy Santa Sat Here toilet seat cover and mat set from 24studio.

Wandering around their website I also found these charming angel / reindeer door stops - shame they don't have one in a Father Christmas design but these are still very festive and sweet.

Available from 24studio (UK based) :

Buy festive door stops

One final thing I had to show you, also from Studio:
Santa LED window light in Santa / reindeer design.

These are very sweet window decorations (can also be fixed to a wall) - each has 10 LED lights built in and comes with stickers for fixing to your window, and transparent cable to keep things neat.

Santa / Reindeer LED window decorations by 24studio.

24Studio also have an impressive selection of Christmas cards and wrap, so are a good place to start your Christmas shopping, especially if you like to start early!
Christmas decorations, Christmas cards and wrap, Christmas trees & lights, Christmas gifts.

Christmas Resources for Children

Here's a great resource for teachers, parents and anyone looking to entertain or educate young children about Christmas: www.woodlands-junior.kent.sch.uk/teacher/christmas.html

This brilliant collection of resources includes advent calendars and Christmas craft projects, maths and english projects with a Christmas theme, and all kinds of information about Christmas traditions. Plus, free Christmas clip art, music clips and fun Christmas stories for children.

This is a great resource for entertaining children at Christmas (and in those excited weeks before Christmas!)

Christmas Fun

Featured Christmas link: www.northpole.com

Looking for Christmas fun, games and activities for kids and grown ups, with printable stories and colouring pages, Christmas countdown calendar, e-cards, recipes and Christmas ideas. Visit www.northpole.com for Christmas fun!

http://www.northpole.com/

 

Cheap Christmas Gift Ideas

If you're looking for great value Christmas gifts, check out this article on www.lovemoney.com

Featuring 12 Great Cheap (Money Saving) Christmas gift ideas, the article is good inspiration if you need creative ideas for great value gifts for Christmas.

Another good resource is www.moneyunder30.com/cheap-gifts-53-inexpensive-christmas-gifts  - for more traditional Christmas gift ideas, all thrifty for the money conscious.

If none of these ideas take your fancy, visit 24Studio for great value Christmas gift ideas.

Get Ready For Christmas With The Kids

If you have children in your family, or your friends have children, I'm sure you'll agree that they add an extra dimension to Christmas - the fun, the excitement, the suspense in the run up to the big day!

If you've ever spent time with kids in the run up to Christmas, you'll know that the excitement can almost get too much - so much waiting (and behaving!)

Here are five ideas for entertaining children in the last few weeks before Christmas without spoiling them!

1. Take them Christmas carolling - ah bless their cotton socks, even the naughtiest most-hyper child will be transformed into a little angel once they start belting out "Away In A Manger".

2. Long walk outdoors - whether it's crisp and cold, or wet and windy, a walk outdoors is a sure-fire way to tire out little legs and create a diversion in little minds. Try to point out Winter wonders as you go along, winter berries on the trees etc! Perhaps try and collect pine cones or holly that can be used as part of a Christmas decoration project!

3. Bake mince pies and treats - good old fashioned baking can fill an afternoon and what could be more Christmassy than mince pies? If you don't fancy messing with the oven, try making truffles or sweet treats that don't need an oven! As a bonus, things like truffles can be boxed and use as inexpensive gifts - grandmas will love gifts made especially for them by little hands!

4. Visit the grottos, garden centres and Christmas fayres - Santa might be there, but you don't need to spend time in queues or paying to see him, young children are often captivated by the displays in shops and around the town. They also love seeing houses that are covered from roof to floor in lights and decorations (and a lot of people enjoy decorating their homes this way), so keep an eye out for these Christmas wonders and remember to take the kids for a look, they will love it!

5. Get busy with the wrapping paper and sellotape -  let the children get crafty - collect a box of old/surplus wrapping paper, cards, tape, decoration, bows, glitter and glue and let them go wild. (A plastic sheet for the floor might be an idea before you start!) You could collect things all year so that you have a box full of materials by Christmas time - remember to supply them with safety scissors! They can make all kinds of fun stuff - you could even get them to wrap sweets and treats and put them under the tree!

One thing's for sure, if you have kids, your Christmas preparations will be a lot more fun!

Credit Crunch Christmas

Top Five Things To Do This Christmas Without Flexing Your Wallet!

1. Go Sledging - this will be more fun IF it snows....
2. Build a Snowman - as above
3. Have a Snowball Fight - er....
4. Sing Christmas Carols - no snow required
5. Pour Water On Public Steps & Watch The Results - just kidding folks, you don't want to get sued!

Christmas Gifts Ideas For Boys And Men - Books

Struggling to think of a Christmas gift for the men in your life? Here are some Christmas present ideas for bookworms!

15 Recommended Books For Dads & Lads This Christmas:

Emperor: The Gates Of Rome - Conn Iggulden

Ratcatcher – by James McGee

The Dark Tower: The Gunslinger – by Stephen King

A Game Of Thrones – by George R R Martin

Strike Back – by Chris Ryan

The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo - Stieg Larsson

Centurion – by Simon Scarrow

Patriot Games – by Tom Clancy

T2: Infiltrator – by S.M. Stirling

Casino Royale - by Ian Fleming

The Shining - by Stephen King

The World According To Clarkson: Volume 4: How Hard Can It Be? – by Jeremy Clarkson

The Chase – by Clive Cussler

The Traveller - by John Twelve Hawks

The Five Greatest Warriors - by Matthew Reilly