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Crafts

Quick and Easy Thanksgiving Craft Ideas 

With the holidays come decorations, and Thanksgiving is no exception. While your children may not be able to participate in much of the cooking of Thanksgiving dinner, you can put them to use by allowing them to decorate the house in anticipation. Set them up at a craft table with paper, glue, glitter and other craft goodies and let them create their own decorations.

There are many different items that your children can create to decorate the house for Thanksgiving. Teach them how to draw thanksgiving-themed pictures such as pilgrims, Indians and cornucopias. These items, as well as other fall or winter-themed items, can be drawn onto colored paper and cut out to display around the house for your family and guests who may come to dinner.

You can find templates online by doing a search. Many of the online templates will allow your children to simply color and cut out. Best of all, if they make mistakes and want to re-do the picture, you can just print out another template.

Thanksgiving name cards for the dinner table are a crafty idea for children. Buy some thanksgiving-themed stamps and let your children stamp the name cards. The stamped images can then be colored in and names written on the cards for the guests.

In addition to name cards, napkin rings can be designed with utmost ease as well. Inform your family beforehand that the items were made by your children so that your friends and family can praise your children for a job well done. Watching your children beam will add precious memories to the occasion.

Have your children make a thanksgiving-themed garland to hang around the house. Buy fall-colored paper and cut into strips. Your children can make and attach circles out of the strips and form an inexpensive garland that will certainly add to the festivities. Let them make either one long, or several short garlands to display around the house.

Thanksgiving is a great time to decorate the house. You can let your children feel like they are part of the festivities by allowing them to decorate the house with some quick and easy crafts. Provide them with templates, but also let them use their own creativity. After the house is decorated, be sure to take pictures because before you know it, the Thanksgiving decorations will be replaced with Christmas decorations.

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Frugal Holidays: Homemade Gift Giving Guide

With the prices of everything on the rise, you’ve probably found it more and more difficult to buy gifts for all your loved ones, not to mention your friends, neighbors, business associates, the kids’ friends and teachers, and the occasional mail carrier!

Have you considered making your own gifts? Lovely presents can be made at home for a fraction of the cost! Besides being less costly, many homemade gifts are cherished by their recipients far more than something you bought at the store. After all, a little love goes into every homemade gift!

Try these ideas to help you get started with making homemade gifts:

Romantic Gifts

✴ Mix your own CDs with your loved one’s favorite songs and those that mean a lot to your relationship, like what was playing on your first date.
✴ Compose your own love song or poem.
✴ Bring back fond memories of your time together by creating a special scrapbook.

Gift Baskets

Buy baskets at the dollar store or on sale elsewhere and customize them for the recipient, filling them with little treasures they’re sure to enjoy. Alternatively, use other packaging like small metal buckets or decorative boxes.

✴ Snack baskets. Fill them with packets of hot cocoa, flavored teas, coffees, cookies, fudge, or candy. Making a few batches of cookies at home is much cheaper than buying them from the store.
✴ Classy baskets. Include some fine wine and cheese or chocolates and fruit.
✴ Fruit baskets. Fill with fresh or dried fruit and nuts.
✴ Hobby baskets. Choose an assortment of items relating to their hobby. For example, a bucket of golf balls and tees would be welcomed by any golf enthusiast.
✴ Movie baskets. Include microwave popcorn, candy, and a movie. Gifts for Friends, Neighbors, & Business Associates

❖ Home-baked cookies, pies, cakes, fudge, or candy
❖ Mason jars layered with the dry ingredients to bake their own treats. Decorate with cloth, ribbon, and a card with the recipe.
❖ Craft unique jewelry. Jewelry isn’t only easy, but incredibly fun. The more you do it, the faster you get! This is one area where you can really get creative! Use unique shells and beads to make earrings, bracelets, necklaces, decorative hair accessories, and more. Buy supplies at craft stores or online. This is truly a one of a kind gift to every friend!

Gifts for Children

Sock monkey. These old-fashioned sock monkeys are popular once again! They require you to sew, but are extremely adorable and make excellent gifts for children.

These items are all you need for this fun and frugal gift:

❖ 1 pair of men’s extra large socks
❖ Cotton or stuffing
❖ White thread
❖ Red yarn
❖ Black embroidery thread
❖ Two buttons for the eyes

Holiday Ornaments

This activity is very fun and simple – so simple you can get the kids in on it too! Make some fun Holiday memories with your family while making inexpensive gifts and decorations.

Here’s what you’ll need:

❖ Clear glass ball ornaments
❖ Acrylic paint
❖ Ribbon
❖ Egg carton

Take a glass ornament and poor a few colors of paint inside. Swish it around so the paint covers the inside of the ball. Poor the paint out into the trash and cap the ornament, placing it in the egg carton to dry. Voila! Each ornament is a unique creation and will be cherished for years to come.

Use these ideas as fuel to spark new creations of your own. You may find glorious new traditions in your frugality that you enjoy for the rest of your life.

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Frugal Tips for Making Your Holiday Christmas Gifts
One great way to extend your Christmas holiday budget and to give personalized and unique holiday Christmas gifts is to make them yourself. However, if you haven’t done it before, you can get in way over your head. Your good intentions can turn into a really stressful time. Here are five frugal tips to help you make your holiday Christmas gifts successfully.

#1. Plan ahead and get started early. Make a list of all the people you’re making gifts for and what you’re making them. Do you have the time to get the gifts created before the holidays? If so, get started and budget your time. Devote a specific amount of time each day or week to getting the Christmas gifts made. There’s nothing worse than not having a gift ready by the holidays and having to give a well-intentioned IOU.

#2. Make sure you’re doing something you enjoy. For example, if you decided you’re going to knit everyone a wool hat but you really don’t like knitting that much, you’re not going to have any fun making or giving the gifts. You’ll also have a tough time getting the gifts made before the holidays.

However, if you’re doing something you love, you’ll put extra energy into making the gift special and unique. Additionally, you’ll also enjoy giving such a gift of love.

#3. Budget the expenses. While it may seem like making your Christmas gifts is less expensive than buying them, some crafting supplies can get really pricey. Before you start on this journey, plan it out. Make a list of everything you need to buy and what it costs. Analyze the information to determine a price per gift dollar amount. Are you in the realm of reasonable? Are you saving any money by making your gifts?

Making gifts doesn’t have to be about saving money, but it’s nice to know how much you’re in for before you devote yourself to the task.

#4 Don’t bite off more than you can chew. This is a lesson often learned the hard way. Why do we always think we’re capable of more than time allows? Take an honest and realistic look at how much time you have to make your gifts and how long it takes to make them. Will you reasonably be able to manage the goal, or are you getting in over your head?

#5. Consider the recipient. Often, we get so excited about making a gift that we forget to consider our recipient. For example, if you’ve decided you’re going to make bath products for all your girl friends and associates, you may want to make sure they’re not allergic to certain fragrances or chemicals. And you may also want to make sure they have a bathtub before you make bubble bath for them.

Make sure your good intentions are going to be well received.

Making Christmas gifts for your friends and family can be a joyous event. Your handmade Christmas gift shows you care enough to spend time and energy on the process. Take a few minutes to prepare in advance to make this season successful.

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Save Money on Candle Making Supplies

Candle making can be a great past time, hobby, or business venture. While the supplies for candling making are remarkably inexpensive, the cost does start to add up over time. There are many ways you can cut back the cost of the candle making supplies, but I caution you not to sacrifice the quality of the products you purchase just to save a few dollars. This is especially important for those who sell their candles. If the quality of the product goes down because you are buying wax and other supplies that are of less quality, you will end up costing your business money over the long haul.

Keep a list of the candle making supplies you use. Include the brand, the price, and the amount of the item you get for that price. This will help you compare the prices with sales you run across and know if you are getting a better deal or not. Many craft stores run sales on candle making items before and right after the holidays. This can be a great time to stock up.

Checking online auction sites including Ebay and Yahoo Auctions can often be an excellent way to find the same candle making products you use at a discounted price. It could be that the seller of the items doesn’t have the time to make candles anymore or they simply have moved on to other things.

If you use a large volume of candle making supplies on a regular basis, consider buying them wholesale. You will pay more up front for your supplies, yet overall you will save a considerable amount of money. You can search such wholesalers on the internet and compare prices. Many online wholesalers offer free shipping as well so that is another area where you can save money if you normally purchase your candle making supplies online. If you know other people who make candles as well consider buying in bulk and sharing the cost as well as the supplies. This is an easy way for everyone to get a discount as well as reduce the cost at the time of purchase.

Some of the discount candle making products on the market are very comparable to the quality products you already use. A good way to tell is to compare the ingredients. You can research the necessary ingredients of each item on the internet. If the discount products contain all the major ingredients as the candle making supplies you already use, then give it a try. It is recommended that you only purchase one or two items at first to test the quality. Keep track of where you purchased the discounted items so you can return to that retailer or online store if you are happy with the quality of the products.

Containers and holders for your candles are one area you should never spend a great deal of money on. I won’t recommend buying them for regular price unless they are for a wedding or other very special occasion. You can buy mason jars, extra glassware, votive holders, and many other containers to use candle making at thrift stores and garage sales for a very reasonable price. You might also check the online auctions to purchase large quantities of candle making container and holders at a very good price.

The supplies used in candle making can cost you a great deal of money over time. To save money on the quality supplies you use, take the time to compare prices both online and at local retailers. Take advantage of discounts and sales throughout the year at craft stores. Be cautious when looking at discount candle making supplies. You want to make sure they offer the same quality that you are already using. Finding supplies at online auctions and buying them in bulk are also great ways to save you money on candle making supplies.

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How to Make a Paper Plate Thanksgiving Turkey

Turkeys are a well-known symbol of Thanksgiving. They’re a favorite subject of crafters who want to make Thanksgiving centerpieces and other decorations. And for kids, turkey projects provide a great opportunity to discuss the tradition of Thanksgiving.

This paper plate turkey is a craft that kids of all ages can do. Here’s how to make it.

What You Need

* Paper plate
* Brown crayon, colored pencil, marker or paint
* Construction paper in brown, red, orange and yellow
* White craft glue or glue stick
* Scissors
* Pencil
* Googly eyes

Instructions

1. Use the brown crayon, colored pencil, marker or paint to color bottom side of the plate brown. If using paint, let dry.

2. Draw an elongated oval or peanut shape on a piece of brown construction paper to make the turkey’s head and neck. Cut out and glue onto the center of the plate, with the top hanging over the edge.

3. Cut a triangle out of the yellow or orange construction paper for the beak, and a teardrop shape out of the red construction paper for the waddle. Cut legs and feet out of orange or yellow construction paper. Glue into place.

4. Glue on the googly eyes. Let dry.

5. Draw a feather shape on a piece of red, yellow or orange construction paper. Cut it out, and trace it onto construction paper in each of those three colors several times. Cut out all of the feathers you traced.

6. Turn the plate over and glue the feathers around the top and sides of the plate, placing the bottoms of them about an inch from the edge. Let dry.

Tips

* If you prefer, you could use craft feathers instead of cutting them out of construction paper. If you do, keep in mind that they will stick better with craft glue than they will with a glue stick.

* If you don’t have any googly eyes, cut some eyes out of white construction paper or card stock and draw black dots in the centers.

* No paper plates handy? Just cut a large circle out of brown construction paper for the body.

* You can convert this craft to make a peacock for a non-seasonal project. Just make the head and body blue instead of brown, omit the waddle, and use brightly colored feathers. For the spots on the feathers, kids can dip their thumbs in finger paint and stick them in random places.

* Stick a magnet on the back of your completed turkey and hang it on the refrigerator, tack it to the front door, or use string to hang it from the ceiling.

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