Merry Christmas 2011

MERRY CHRISTMAS FROM THE COSTA FAMILY!

Wordless Wednesday- Christmas Decorations

Wordless Wednesday- Christmas Cookies

Dried Orange and Apple Ornaments

I cut apples and oranges into 1/4 to 1/3 inch slices then soaked the apple slices in lemon juice for about 15-30 minutes flipping occasionally. I dehydrated them overnight until they were dry and leathery. 

I found wooden beads at Micheal's and painted them with acrylic paint. I used about a half inch wide ribbon and a yarn needle to string up my dried orange and apple slices as well as bay leaves. I just layered them with a bead at the top and bottom and then tied off the bottom tail. I tied the dried fruit ornaments onto the tree with the extra ribbon at the top.

I love that the spice and dried fruit ornaments give my dining room tree a primitive homemade look.

Cinnamon and Clove Ornaments

 

Cinnamon and Clove Ornaments

1 cup ground cinnamon

2 tablespoons ground clove

3/4 cup applesauce

Mix well. If too dry add 1 tablespoon of applesauce at a time. It too wet add 1 tablespoon cinnamon at a time. Pour 1/4 of the mixture onto wax paper, parchment or a dehydrator sheet like I did. Press dough together. I used plastic wrap to cover the dough so my rolling pin would not stick. Roll the dough 1/4 to 1/3 inch thick. Cut out shapes with cookie cutters then make a small hole at the top of the ornament with a straw or skewer. Place on a baking sheet to bake at 200 degrees for 2 1/2 hours or place them on a dehydrator sheet to dehydrate them for a few hours. They can also be left out for a day or two on the counter to dry.

 

 Be careful while threading ribbon into the ornaments. I may have rolled mine out too thin making them more fragile than I would have liked.

I grew up with a tree in every room. Each had their own theme. The living room tree held all of our family ornaments, handmade ornaments and ornaments collected on our travels. The kitchen tree was one of my favorites. It was decorated with miniature utensils and pans, gingerbread men, candies, foods and a candy garland. The dining room tree was also a favorite because it held vintage glass ornaments that belonged to my mamaw and papaw. My tree was decorated with a Victorian theme. Lots of pink, lace, pearls, and faux candles that clipped to the ends of the branches. My brother's tree had a woodland/hunting theme. 

Since getting married 6 years ago we always had one tree in the living room until I was able to talk the Mister into getting another tree to put in our dining room this year. It's a a decent size 4ft tree for our cozy little cottage. It sits on the fireplace hearth. I decided from the beginning that I wanted to use a primitive homemade theme for decorating it.

The ornaments smell Ah-Mazing! Every time I walk by the tree, the Christmasy scent of cinnamon and clove fills my nose and makes my heart happy.