Button Tree

BUTTON TREE Floral or jewelry wire Small container Floral foam Decorative stones, optional Buttons Wire cutters Directions: Cut 15-20 pieces of wire into 25-inch lengths using wire cutters. Gather wires together and fold at middle point. Twist wires together at fold to create the tree base. Fill container with floral foam. Press tree base into … Read more

Door Heart

DOOR HEART Whittle down that fabric stash and make this ragged heart wreath. 12-inch heart shaped wire form 1 ½ yard fabric or six fat quarters in coordinating colors Scissors Directions: Cut fabric into 150 strips, each measuring 1 ½ x 8 inches Using 1 strip of fabric at a time, wrap around two rungs … Read more

Brownie Hearts

Brownie Hearts Prepare brownie mix per package directions and bake as directed. Cool, then cut out hearts using a cookie cutter or a knife.  Pipe on store-bought frosting or use “Writing Icing” to create chocolate “conversation hearts”.   (Betty Crocker is one of the companies that makes “Writing Icing”.) from Feb 2021 Woman’s Day

Broccoli Cheddar Soup

Broccoli Cheddar Soup  This thick, cheesy broccoli cheddar soup is proof that soup doesn’t need to be made in big batches to be good. ¼ cup chopped onion ¼ cup butter, cubed ¼ cup all-purpose flour ¼ tsp salt ¼ tsp pepper 1 ½ cups milk ¾ cup chicken broth 1 cup cooked, chopped fresh … Read more

Toothpick Ornaments

Toothpick Ornaments Cut the picture in a house shape. Glue the toothpicks to the outside edges of the picture, overlapping the ends of the toothpicks, crossing the top toothpicks in the middle of the picture (point).   You may need to trim the side pieces a little to fit the house shape.  You can use … Read more

Cranberry Nut Bread

Cranberry Nut Bread 2 cups sifted all-purpose flour 1 cup sugar ½ teaspoon salt 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder ½ teaspoon baking soda 1 cup chopped walnuts 1 cup whole raw cranberries 2 tablespoons vegetable oil Hot water 1 tablespoon grated orange peel ½ cup orange juice 1 egg, slightly beaten Heat oven to 325 … Read more

Christmas Card Ornaments

Christmas Card Ornaments Don’t throw away those gorgeous Christmas cards that you got this year (actually last year, now).  Let’s make something with them instead of putting them in the recycle bin.   These crafts are very easy.  All you need are some colored craft sticks, scissors, glue (I used tacky glue), toothpicks (wood or … Read more

Ways to Repurpose Christmas Trees

Christmas trees can be put to good use after the holidays. Here are some tips for repurposing a tree. Begin by removing all decorations, including tinsel. And of course, don’t do this with an artificial tree! The first thing is to get it out of the house. Dragging a no-longer-fresh Christmas tree outside after the … Read more