Christmas Centerpiece Ideas - Top Pick!

Remember the ladies event at our church where I did a centerpiece idea class? And I told you I would do the top two ideas separately? I did number two a while back. Ever wonder what happened to the top pick? Here it is! The above picture is a personalized version with BBC and Santa a year or so ago. I ended up sticking it in the wreath and putting a few red ornaments around it for display in my den.

Yes, I know Christmas has come and gone. This is still a neat idea and can be incorporated year round. PLUS it makes a great gift! I got the inspiration for this project from another blogger (if this is you, please let me know. I didn't bookmark and I looked at lots of sites in preparation for the class I did. I want to make sure you get credit!) And also from the Christmas with Southern Living 2008 book.

See - wouldn't this example be elegant for a wedding or wedding shower centerpiece?

I was tasked with creating something for participants to take with them at a cost of $10 or less. My main thing is simple with lots of WOW. I also like something that I can use multiple ways to get more bang for my buck. This was the perfect project in my opinion and others' based on feedback from the event! So here's how I did it...

First I started with 2 glass cylinders where one can fit inside the other. I got the smaller cylinder for $2.99 and the larger one with the flared top for $3.99 at Garden Ridge. The blogger that had the idea for the cylinders got hers at yard sales for even less! I had to buy 68 in total so a retail store was my best bet. It took the clerk about an hour to wrap all cylinders. And praise the Lord, none were broken throughout the entire process!

Then you just need vellum (~$1.00 or less) and double-sided tape (cheap and lots of other uses). You may need to cut your vellum to match your inside cylinder. I placed 3 strips of tape on the inside cylinder at top, middle, and bottom. Then I lined up the vellum on half of the tape, wrapped around the cylinder and finished the other end on the other half of the tape.

Then just drop that inside the larger cylinder. OR if you prefer, you don't have to have the larger cylinder. In fact, I saw candles at Hallmark just yesterday that were crafted this exact way - tape and all! And for a lot more $$$, too!

The one that we crafted in the class was the verse to the right. I had it displayed in fresh greenery. I just printed the verse onto the vellum from my printer. You will need to let it dry a little longer than on regular paper. That's how I did the Santa picture above as well and that one took quite a while to dry! The idea in the SL book was to do verses and words like this on square glass containers and adhere them with spray. I like the double-sided tape because you can easily change them out for different occasions. The second cylinder adds dimension and interest as well. There are a couple of others I played around with. Your imagination is the limit on these. I will be playing around with the idea throughout the year and will report back on all they fun uses I find for these!

Like this one - wouldn't this be cute for a New Year's Eve Celebration? I could see this sitting in the middle of a funky black feather wreath or several lined down the table. Or if you found shorter cylinders (or even use glasses out of the cabinet) you could put your party favors in them!

Speaking of New Year's Eve - hope you all have a safe and fun evening ringing in the New Year! Until next year...

Nester Party - Better Late than Never!

I really wanted to join Nester's Garland Party when it was actually in progress - you know around the 10th of December. Didn't happen! But my momma always said better late than never so why not link up now? BTW - I've seen those 4 words (better late than never) on a lot of posts this season. Did everything sneak up on us or what?

Well, I'm going to take my tardiness and turn it into a good tip for next year. It is obviously too late to use the fabulous ideas from this party for this Christmas season. So here's what I'm going to do. I'm visiting them anyway and I'm making notes of my favorites. Then I'm going to put those notes in a reminder on my calendar (I'll do it in Outlook, but you can do it in your day planner or whatever works for you). I'm going to make my reminder for the middle of October. I won't start decorating in October but I do like to get my creative juices flowing early. Make your date work for you. You can also save Nester's link and view again next year!

So here's my contribution to the party! Some of what you've already seen and a couple of new looks. I hope you find something that inspires!

Berry Blingy Banister

With a new addition - just for you, Nester! Isn't this blingy nest just perfect for my garland? Found this on clearance last week and I couldn't resist.

Mantle Garland

This is mostly greenery and ribbon but there are a few fun surprises like these cute acorn ornaments. I also popped lights into small grapevine balls here and there for added interest.

And of course I can't do a garland show and tell without mentioning by fun door garland!

Easy Cinnamon Rolls

Have I mentioned that I like to make things that are super EASY with WOW factor? I guess that's my MO behind most everything I do! I love cinnamon rolls and I have fond memories of my mom making them along with homemade rolls on holidays and special occasions. I also remember that she had to get up at the crack of dawn to make sure they had time to rise twice.I still like to make homemade rolls but skip getting up early to make the cinnamon rolls!

My solution: I found this recipe in the Southern Living Ultimate Quick & Easy Cookbook.

Miniature Cinnamon Rolls
Prep: 16 minutes * Cook: 18 minutes * Other: 10 minutes

2 (8 oz) cans refrigerated crescent rolls
6 tablespoons butter, softened
1/3 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
1 tablespoon granulated sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 cup chopped pecans
1 *1/2 cups sifted powdered sugar
2 tablespoons milk
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract

Unroll crescent rolls and separate each dough portion along center perforation to form 4 rectangles; press diagonal perforations to seal.

Stir together butter and next 3 ingredients; spread evenly over 1 side of each rectangle. Sprinkle with pecans. Roll up jellyroll fashion, starting at long end. Gently cut each log into 6 slices, using a sharp knife. Place rolls, 1/4 inch apart, into 2 (8-inch) round cake pans placing 3 in the center.

Bake at 375 degrees for 16-18 minutes or until golden. Remove from pans. Cool 5 to 10 minutes.

Stir together powdered sugar, milk, and vanilla. Drizzle evenly over warm rolls.

Yield: 2 dozen.

If you know anything about me by now, then you know I have to tweak. So here's how I tweaked this recipe...

A great big THANKS to Pillsbury, for making it even easier to make this recipe! Their Crescent Recipe Creations dough comes in one sheet so no need to press together all those seams!

I follow the recipe pretty much the same except I have 2 large jelly rolls instead of 4 smaller ones. I cut the larger rolls into 11-12 rolls depending on how big I make the cuts. Then I place them all into one 9x9 baking pan. Why dirty up 2 pans? (BTW, please ignore the burnt marshmallows in the bottom of the oven!)

They bake up beautifully! I like that they are all squished together because you get more center rolls and those are the best! While they are cooling I make the glaze. I'm too lazy to sift the powdered sugar. That takes more time AND dirties more dishes. It just takes a few more turns of the wire whisk to get those lumps out and it is just as delicious!

I do not take them out of the pan after cooling. I just drizzle the glaze on top in the pan. I serve from the pan if at home.

I will admit I did make these once for the Sunday School class . I used 2 pans and after I glazed them I put them into a pretty piece of pottery. I will go a little above and beyond if it fits the situation.

Easy and with wow factor! No one will ever believe you started with crescent roll dough! Enjoy!

Edit: Dusting this post off to join Between 3 Sisters Holiday Recipe Party. Check out the beautiful Christmas Bark - {almost} too pretty to eat!

Gingerbread House and Keeping It Real

This year was a first for me. I made my first ever gingerbread house! So it was BBC's first one as well! Is it cheating that we used a kit?

Daddy said he needed to start using more power tools!

Yum - Momma's power tools have sweet rewards!

The hardest part of the whole deal was waiting for it to set. I told him if he took a nap the time would pass by faster. Can you believe that actually worked? After that the fun could really begin. Check out that concentration! He's so meticulous - is that a gene? If so I guess I passed it on to him.

I was originally piping on the icing, well, because I'm a control freak. But BBC told me that he had taken a nap so he could grow big strong muscles and he would like to give it a try. He did a pretty good job with it. I should give up control more often. It's a learning process.

And this is how it looked in the end. Not bad for a couple of newbies! And oh the memories we created! That's the sweetest reward of all!

Kimba did a post on keeping it real so in that spirit I confess that this is the only Christmas decor the kitchen saw this year. I just ran out of time. So, the front door, foyer, den, and living room were the only rooms filled with Christmas cheer. The dining room was filled with SLAH boxes from this month's sale. It looked like a warehouse in there! I should have taken a picture. I had 13 big boxes before it was all said and done! Thankfully all but one or two orders have been picked up and/or delivered!

Hope you created lots of REAL memories this Christmas!

Merry Christmas!

Hope you get a chance to slow down today
and reflect on the true gift of Christmas!

And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, which is Christ the Lord. Luke 2:10-11

My Top Five Christmas Tips 2008

Tip #1: Learn to tie a perfect package bow! Small Notebook put together a video tutorial. I found it on my friend's blog here. I did this bow on my first try!

Tip #2: Improvise! I didn't have candles to match what I had going on in this room and I didn't want to spend money. SO, I plopped these glass ornaments into my sconces. I love the look and it is unexpected!

Tip #3: Practice patience and be thankful! This is Santa arriving at the mall yesterday. Our vantage point is from the second row of the line. I had to self-talk all the way through the line. BBC was so excited so that helped keep me positive. Then I thought about all the times my mom took us to see Santa. I called her when we left and thanked her for her sacrifice!

Tip #4: Keep lots of green pipe cleaners on hand! There are always a couple of limbs that decide to drag the ground after the lights and ornaments are added. If you clip them off you will have a big hole in your tree. Solution: use a green pipe cleaner and attach them to a stronger branch above. I'll not divulge how many pipe cleaners are used in our tree this year. Pipe cleaners are also an integral part of my front door decor and banister!

Tip #5: It's a wrap! I wanted a pop of green in my living room but again didn't want to buy new pillows. So...

I took my old pillow...

and wrapped it like a package in green fabric! Shhh - no one has to know. You could even connect the points with a pretty pin or tie a fat ribbon around it to dress it up even more!

Well, there you have it - my 2008 top five Christmas tips list! Got a great tip to share? Please let us know by leaving it in the comments!

2008 Cookie Swap!

My dear friend, Amy, hosted a cookie swap today. I always have a lot of fun at these. I love to bake but I'm not a big cookie baker. So this gives me a chance at least once a year to try something new.

This year I found my inspiration on the cover of All You magazine. (Shameless plug - this is a great magazine for the everyday woman with lots of high value coupons, fun projects, tips, etc. I offer it through SL@H at a rate of $19.95 for two years! That is just $0.83 cents per issue! Contact me if you would like more information.)

So I started with the first batch. Let me just say that these six cookies were all that were made with the three tiers. Can you say pain in the bootie? So I let BBC decorate these. Didn't he do a great job?

This was his favorite. I let him eat it after I snapped this picture. When he was done with it he told me had a knew favorite and asked me to snap another picture so he could eat it as well. Ha!

I decided to go the lazy route and just do two tier snowmen. I actually like the way they look better, too! If I had it to do over, I would probably add some sparkly white sugar prior to baking. My favorite is at the top and is just partially pictured. The red frosting with white dots turned out really cute. Especially with a red and white striped hat!

Here they are all packed up and ready to go!

There were ten participants. Great minds think alike as Amy and I both used my absolute favorite SL@H product - our Cinnabar Footed Server. Amy made these amazing red velvet/white chocolate cake bon bons. I will see if she will let me post the recipe here. Delicious!

Here's the loot I scored. All but one of my snowmen found a new home. The boys were super excited when I got back home. They made a dent in the stash right away.

Thanks again, Amy, for hosting another successful event! And please send me the recipe so I can share your yummy treat!

Christmas Door - How I Do It

Oh my goodness! I was so totally thrilled and excited to have Kimba name my front door as one of her favorites in 2008! Thank you, Kimba! And thank you to everyone who has left kind comments! I am honored!


As promised, here's a quick tutorial on the steps I take to craft the garland.

Start with a better quality greenery garland. I didn't buy top of the line but I didn't buy the cheapest, either. I bought this greenery several years ago at 50% and it has held up well. I like different textures. I don't buy pre-lit. I usually wrap the lights myself and then just keep them on there each year. I had DH install hanging plant hooks around my door a few years back because I'm always wrapping something around it. I tried using the temporary hooks but it kept falling down. How do you hold your garland around the door?

The magic of this look is in the mesh. It has a wonderful reflective quality and really softens the garland. The mesh comes in rolls like this. You can shop in high end stores and pay way to much for this stuff if you like. Or you can do a little shopping around to find it at bargain basement prices. Here they have it at the antique/flea market type booths. I lucked into a 50% off sale at at a local floral shop (Tipton & Hurst, for all the locals) .

Some people find it daunting to work with. I think these few tips make it a cinch to use (pun intended). I start off by gathering up the end and securing with a pipe cleaner. Be sure to leave the ends to tie to your garland.

Then I poof it around into a tunnel with the outside edges always facing inward.

You can make your poofs to taste - big or small! I like mine just right. I only use a pipe cleaner for the initial end. after that I just bend the greenery around to cinch and hold.

I usually work from the top center down using two sections of mesh. I like to add two large sections in the middle to mimic a bow. I did not catch a shot of the red mesh and ribbon before adding the ornaments. I followed the same procedure for the red mesh and "poofed" it in the opposite direction. Play around with it until you get the look you want.

I also use pipe cleaners to wire the ornaments onto the garland.

To finish off, just wind ribbon throughout the garland securing in a similar fashion as the mesh. Here I used a wide, wired ribbon and a skinny velvet wired ribbon. Finally, secure the ornaments at the cinched up areas or wherever you please. Be sure to add ornaments with different sizes, shapes, and textures to add depth and interest to the garland. I like to bunch my ornaments in groups of three with at least one onion or finial ornament in the mix.

It is also lovely to add in silk stems, branches, berries, or whatever you like. You would just tuck those in similar to how I did my banister garland. There are endless possibilities!

This is a closeup of a door I decorated in 2010. It uses a striped mesh with smaller poofs and fewer ornaments. I like the simplicity of the garland and the contrast of its bling with the rustic door and simple wreath.

I used a similar concept for my burlap and bling door in 2010. Again I love the rustic vs bling concept. If you are interested, you can read more about how I crafted this door.

If you are feeling super creative, why not craft a wreath to match your door? Fellow crafty gal and Arkansan, Kristen, has a wonderful tutotorial on making mesh wreaths.

I hope you find this tutorial helpful. Send me pictures of what you create. I would love to share them!

~Southern Fried Gal

Last updated: November 22, 2011 to enhance pictures and text.

Linking up with Beth's Tutorials and Tips party in time for Holiday 2011 decorating!