A floral display makes an elegant centerpiece for your holiday table.

Are you trying to balance a shrinking holiday gift budget with a list of recipients that just seems to grow longer every year? You’re not alone. With many Americans prepared to spend less on holiday shopping and decorating this year, it’s likely more people will choose to give homemade gifts and create their own holiday decor.

Homemade gifts can be a great way to stretch holiday gift-giving dollars. Plus, each gift makes a personal statement that you cared enough, investing your time and effort to convey the holiday spirit. Making gifts is also a good way for families to spend time together during the holiday season.

It’s possible to find homemade gift and decorating ideas to fit virtually every taste and budget. Food, especially baked goods, and craft items continue to be top choices for handmade gifts. Both categories offer a wide range of options that can be made by people with all levels of expertise – from dedicated and experienced crafters to relative newcomers to the tradition.

Whether you’re a seasoned handmade gift-giver looking for something new and exciting to make, or a beginner looking for a fail-safe gift, decorations and crafts made with fresh cut flowers can be a sure-fire winner. Floral gifts deliver fresh, fragrant and personal touches to the recipient’s (and your own) home. Plus, it’s easy to find ideas for all skill levels at www.flowerpossibilities.com.

“Fresh floral arrangements can range from basic and simple to more creative and elaborate,” says Jill Slater, flower designer for flowerpossibilities.com. “Regardless of the design, the charm and allure that a homemade floral arrangement offers will add a warm and inviting feel to any room of the house.”

Here are two festive “flower recipes” sure to brighten the holidays – and the home – for the flower lover on your list. Or, give yourself a fragrant gift and make the arrangements for your own home. You’ll find more recipe ideas at www.flowerpossibilities.com.

Holiday Hostess Gift

A holiday hostess gift that's easy to make.

Materials:

2 washcloths – holiday colors like red and green, or silver and gold
1 sprig of holly
1 red rose
One sheet of holiday theme decorative velum
1 yard decorative ribbon
1 medium-sized rubber band
Double-sided tape
1 coaster
1 water tube
Floral preservative/food
Floral clippers and scissors

Directions:

Make a 3-inch fold at the bottom of the long side of each washcloth. Fold this end to meet the edge of the opposite side of each washcloth. Stack the two folded washcloths on top of each other. Cut the velum to the height of the folded washcloths. Roll the washcloths together and wrap the velum around them. Secure the velum around the washcloths with double-sided tape and then a rubber band for extra security.

Tie the ribbon in a square knot around the rubber band and place the rolled washcloths on top of the coaster. (To tie a square knot: left over right, right over left). Cut the holly and rose short and insert them into the water tube that has been treated with floral preservative/food. Now, place the water-tubed flower into the top of the rolled washcloths.

Holiday Elegance

Materials:
1 loaf pan from the kitchen cupboard
1 brick floral foam
Two 12-inch tapers
3 stems stargazer lilies
12 stems red roses
2 stems yellow-berried hypericum, divide into six to eight clusters
8 stems leather fern
6 stems sword fern
2 stems lemon leaf
Floral clippers and knife
Floral preservative/food

Directions:
Soak the floral foam in water that has been treated with floral preservatives/food for about 30 minutes.
Insert the soaked floral foam into the loaf pan and insert two tapers, equally spaced, into the top of the foam.

Cut two sword fern stems to 9 inches in length, two more to 7 inches and the remaining two to 5 inches. Next, insert one of each length into each side of the short end of the loaf pan. Cut all the leather fern stems to approximately 4 inches and insert the stems into the floral foam to cover it almost completely.

Cut the lemon leaves at varying lengths, dispersing them throughout the arrangement. Divide two stems of yellow-berried hypericum into six to eight clusters, cut to approximately 8 inches and scatter them evenly throughout the arrangement.

Use the individual blooms of the stargazer lilies and insert them evenly throughout the arrangement.
Cut two red roses to 7 to 8 inches in length and insert them at the narrow ends of the arrangement. Cut another 10 red roses to approximately 4 inches in length and insert them throughout the arrangement.

Courtesy of ARAcontent

Crafty Santa’s Cookies Plate

“Oh it’s beginning to look like Christmas,” and you are missing a very essential part to the Christmas holidays; Santa’s Cookie Plate. Yes, I know that Santa isn’t what the holidays are about but every year, thousands of children pile various types of cookies onto a plate before heading up for their restless Christmas Eve slumber. Why would Santa want a cookie off of a plain cookie plate?

Well, he probably doesn’t care but more than likely, you do, which is probably why you have come to this site to find out how to make the perfect Christmas Cookie Plate.

What you need:

• One plate: I find that ceramic plates work best and white is the best color to work with since the colors show on the plate very well.
• Christmas Stamps: I love this stamp that I purchased at the craft store Michael’s. The little Santas are from a Stampin Up set.
• Staze-On: This is a permanent stamp ink and it can be purchased at any craft store in the stamping section. Black ink is best but you can work with many different Staze-On colors.
• Sharpies: Any permanent fine tipped markers work but I am a huge fan of Sharpie. The colors are bright and they stay to the surface. Choose colors that will complement your stamp.
• Sealer Spray: There are different products on the market but find one that is safe to use on items that hold food. Krylon clear acrylic is one of these.

Directions:

1. Wash your plate and then dry it completely before you start. This is very important since a wet plate will make the images bleed.
2. Once the plate is completely dry, figure out what type of design you will want on it before you start stamping. This can be done by laying out the stamps on the plate.
3. Using the Staze-On, cover the stamp completely with ink. If the stamp is small, you can press the stamp onto the inkpad but if it is big, reverse the process and press the inkpad onto the upside down stamp. This gives you more control over where the ink is going.
4. Stamp the images. Generally, if you are stamping and make a mistake, it can be removed with a wet dishcloth; however, if the image sets, you will need to use a powdered bathroom cleaner, such as Comet, to remove the ink.
5. Once all your images are stamped onto the plate, color them in. For my plate, I used red and black as the primary colors.
6. Allow the plate to set overnight.
7. In the morning, spray with the sealer. It is better if you test it on a different plate before you spray the finished plate. Allow the sealer to dry completely and then reapply again. Repeat for a third coat.

Once your plate is sealed, it will be all ready for Christmas Eve. If you wash the plate, make sure you do a wipe down of the plate with a damp cloth. If you need to submerge it into the water, never use really hot water and never soak it. Also, never use hard cleaners on the images.

-Sirena Van Schaik